Black of the Night
by InSanIty-of-REALITY
Summary: Mizuru Himoto is a student at Soul Reaper Academy along with her best friend Maki Pariko. After school on her way home she runs into (literally!) the small white-haired captain of Squad 10, Toshiro Hitsugaya who, along with her friends, soon helps Mizuru discover the truth behind her past and her parent's murder.
1. Chapter 1:Nightmare & a Chance Encounter

_I run as fast as I can through the empty streets. I could hear the hollow thundering behind me, getting closer. I panic and run faster, regretting my decision to go out tonight. I turn a corner into an alley and come to a dead-end. I quickly look around for away to get over the wall. I notice some crates stacked against it. I clamber over them and throw myself over the wall. I drop to the ground, hard. I ignore my throbbing knee and continue my escape. I hear the hollow stop and howl in frustration. I almost stop but then the hollow crashed through the wall and frantically searched for me. I can't call for help, who would believe me? "Oh yeah, a monster is chasing me trying to eat my soul. Did I mention only I can see it?"__No, my only choice was to keep running and hope one of the shinigami on duty here would sense it and kill it, before it kills me._

_I continue running. I feel as if a weight was lifted from my chest when I spot the shinigami. "Help!" I cried. The shinigami turned my way and I could see the surprise on his face.__He quickly draws his zanpakuto; I notice its strange shape and huge size. "Look out, behind you!" He called. I didn't realize I had slowed down until I felt the hollow's claws wrap around me. I screamed as a felt the sharp pain of them piercing me. The shinigami slashes at the hollow and cuts me from its grip, setting me gently on the ground, but it is too late. I fade in and out of __consciousness__ as I watch the shinigami slice the hollow in two. He runs over and leans over me. "Damn, why couldn't Rukia be here, she would've helped you..." He shakes his head. It's becoming harder for me to breathe. As my heart slowed and stopped, I couldn't help but notice his strange, orange hair..._

I bolt up out of bed panicked. I shake off the dream, and look at the clock. I groan realizing I've overslept. "Damn, Sensei's gonna yell at me again."

I throw on my 6th year uniform for the soul academy. I brush out my hair and grab my zanpakuto. As I walk out the door I can't help but think about the dream of my death. I shivered, but not from the cold. "Today is not going to be a good day."

* * *

I yawn as I walk to class. My stomach rumbles and I regret not eating breakfast. I remember the twizzlers I hid in my sheath for emergencies. Rationalizing this _was_ an emergency; I looked around making sure no one was watching. Satisfied no one was, I pulled one out and was about to eat it when I sensed someone approaching. I quickly put it away just in time. "Mizuuu~~chaaaan!" Maki tackled me from behind.

I had to restrain myself from drawing my Zanpakuto and stabbing her for ruining my snack. Maki spun me around to face her. She wiggled her finger and tsked. "Mizuru, you were eating sweets again weren't you?" She teased. "You know they're bad for your health, right?"

I calmly turned and started walking away. "I have no idea what you're talking about, now hurry up we're going to be late." Maki just giggled and followed me to class. All the way there I tuned her out as she babbled on about the assignment from sensei that's due tomorrow, another paper I forgot to do. _Oh well, I'll get one of the first year students to do it for me. _I continued walking on in silence as now Maki mentions something she overheard some of the other students talking about. "And so just because he's a prodigy means he automatically graduated and in a couple years was already a captain! You know if you actually work harder you could be like him Mizuru!"

"Huh? Be like who? Prodigy? What the hell are you talking about Maki?" The last bits of what she was saying caught my attention.

Maki frowned. "Where you even listening?" She shook her head. "No never mind I know you weren't. Anyway I was talking about the kid who's like a second year and he's already graduated. Supposedly he's a child prodigy of a sword that only comes along every hundred years or so."

"Ha, child prodigy my ass! He probably just knows the right people."

"Yeah, I would say the same thing but I've seen his test scores. They're amazing! I also hear he's really cute." She winks at me. "He also has a temper as bad as yours; you two are a lot alike you know"

I sigh and walk off; we had only a few more days before we graduate no need to miss class now. We walk in a little late but sensei was past caring, we take our seats and hear a couple snickers from the back of the class. I turn around and glare at them and they quit. I lay my head on the desk remembering my dream from last night. Very rarely will a soul remember its days when it was alive. I guess I'm just special. I sigh, something kept bugging me but I couldn't place it. While I was thinking I didn't notice sensei staring at me. Maki nudged me and I lifted my head. "Yes sensei?"

He sighed, used to my daydreaming. "Please the year is almost over. Just try to participate a little longer ok?" He shook his head and continued teaching about the bonds between shinigami and zanpakuto. I frowned, but I got through the rest of my classes without getting called out again.

At the end of the day I said goodbye to Maki and headed home. I wasn't paying attention and bumped into someone, falling to the ground with a thud. "Hey! Who said you could just stand there in the way like that?" I growled. I looked up to verbally assault the person, and gasped.

I stare up at the small, white haired captain. I scramble to my feet and quickly bow, my hair draping over my shoulder. "Gomen nesai! I'm so sorry I didn't know it was you!"

The captain scowled and looked down at me. "What kind of apology was that? Don't you know how to talk to authority?" He turned and started to walk away.

My head bolted up in shock, and then my face flushed with anger. Before I knew what I was doing, I shunpo'd in front of him, causing him to stumble backwards. I grabbed his collar and drew his face close to mine. "Yeah, I do have a problem with authority, especially ones who act like complete jerks," I spat. I could see a crowd growing but I continued on. "Just who the hell do you think you are? Just because you're some hot shot captain doesn't mean you can treat anyone else like _dirt_." I released him and he fell to the ground. A reasonable crowd of onlookers had gathered. I picked up on some of their whispering.

"Hey you see that? Mizuru's at it again."

"Wonder who pissed her off this time"

"Oh my, is he ok?"

"Ha, she's really done it this time. I mean really, getting into it with a _captain_!"

While the small captain picked himself up, I heard one last comment that really peaked my interest.

_"Wait, isn't that squad ten's captain, Toshiro Hitsugaya?"_

I almost laughed when I heard that. _So this is the legendary prodigy? Ha he's not all that scar-_ I stopped mid thought when Captain Hitsugaya looked me straight in the eyes. There was intensity in those turquoise eyes that I have never seen before. Though my heart was racing, I met his gaze with an equally powerful glare. He didn't say anything just turned and stormed off. I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding, and I don't think I was the only one. The tension was so thick in the air you could've cut it with a knife.

I sighed and rubbed my head, I could feel a headache coming on. _Oh great, wait until Maki hears about this. She's gonna flip._ I didn't want to imagine the lecture I was most likely going to get tomorrow. I sighed again and shunpo'd off, ignoring the whispers behind me.

I arrived in front of my house, but changed my mind. I headed in the direction of the town, I was still hungry.

* * *

~Toshiro's p.o.v. ~

"Damn her!" I shouted, slamming my fist on my desk, scattering the papers I was working on. Rangiku looked up startled. I cursed again and bent to pick up the papers. _Why can't I get that girl out of my head?_ Was it her ability to meet my gaze with an equal challenge? Or was it even her eyes in general? The unusual silver coloring…I shook my head clearing my thoughts. _No! Stop it; you're better than this Toshiro. And you have work to do; you can't keep daydreaming like this._ I placed the papers back on the desk. Rangiku looked at me concerned. "Captain, are you alright?"

"I'm fine Matsumoto, just get back to work."

"But captain…"

"I told you I'm fine! Now leave it alone, it's none of your concern!" I snapped. Seeing her hurt expression, I turned away exasperated. "I'm sorry, I guess I'm just tired." I finished the last piece of paperwork. "I'm done here so I'm leaving. Can I leave this to you?" I walk out before waiting for her reply, slamming the door behind me.

"Of course." Rangiku replied to no one in particular.


	2. Chapter 2:Candy & a Sleepover

**Hey guys, dont worry about waiting long for uploads because truthfully im just moving from a different site so i have most of this already written. i say "most" because i still haven't finished the final chapter yet... *sweatdrop* actually i lied...i have it done but i dont have my lovely new laptop so i cant upload it...how am i uploading this then you ask? its a long story... anyway ive also had to combine chapters to make one on here seem longer so if you see anything weird...ignore it...**

* * *

I stood outside the squad ten barracks, deciding on where to go. I head towards the town, figuring I could check to see how things were running. I walked down the streets looking at all the shops and the merchant cart's lining the streets. No one paid me any mind; it wasn't uncommon to see a captain wandering the streets. Hell, Captain Kyoraku came here all the time to escape from his lieutenant, Nanao Ise, and the paperwork he refuses to do.

I turn and spot a candy store across the street. I hesitate, undecided whether or not to go in. _Oh come on Toshiro, you work sooo hard. You deserve a small treat._ I give in; I was no match for my rationalizing. I head to the shop and I walk in and bump into a girl who was walking out enjoying a giant lollipop. "Ah, sorry I didn't-" I stop mid-apology and stare in disbelief.

* * *

~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~

I walk around town looking for somewhere to eat. I stop and quickly look around. Some unknown force pulls my attention towards the candy store a little ways down the street. I smile to myself. I hide the smile and nonchalantly walk towards it. When I get in front of the store I look around checking for anyone I know. Satisfied the coast was clear I quickly dash in.

I feel my mouth water as I look around at all of the colorful treats. _Ooo boy, I've struck gold. Hehehe._ A sly grin plasters my face, and I giggle like a schoolgirl. I walk around some more and I gasp when I spot it. It was beautiful. It was amazing. It…..was…..A GIANT LOLLIPOP! Despite myself, I shrieked with delight. The girl at the cashier looked over at me, I blushed and grinned feebly. I turned back to the candy. There were many different flavors; I quickly grabbed the purple one, which was grape, my favorite. I practically skipped to the counter and bounced with impatience as she rung it up. _Damn, can she move any slower?!_ She gave me another funny look as I threw down the money and walked away, unwrapping the lollipop and losing myself in its deliciousness. _Hehe if anyone saw me now my rep would be ruined._ I wasn't paying attention and I bumped into someone on my way out. They started to apologize and when they stopped I looked up to see what was wrong. I gasped and my eyes grew in terror.

* * *

~Toshiro's p.o.v. ~

I looked down at the girl I bumped into in disbelief. _There's no doubt about it, with that blue hair, it's the girl from earlier!_ Her silver eyes stared up at me in shock and something else. _Fear? What's wrong with her?_ Before I could ask, she tackled me.

* * *

~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~

I panicked, before I realized what I was doing I grabbed him and shunpo'd away as fast as I could, to the first place I could think of; my home.

* * *

~Toshiro's p.o.v. ~

I blink. We're in front of a small home, which I guess is hers. I backed away as she bent over gasping for breath. _How did we get here? It must have been shunpo. But, it was so fast…_ "We shouldn't be found here." I hear her mumble, more to herself than to me.

I'm about to demand for an explanation, but grabs me with tears in her eyes. "Please," She chokes out. "Please, you can't tell _anyone_ what you just saw!" My eyes grow in surprise, I can't say anything. It was hard to believe this panicked, teary girl was the same confident, headstrong girl from before.

She let me go and put a hand on her head. "I'd be ruined if people found out the total badass, Mizuru Himoto, who fears nothing, had a weakness for sweets…" She groans and buries her face in her hands.

_Oh so that is what this is about, reputation. _I snickered and she looked up. "And what's so funny?"

"Oh nothing really, I just figured that there really isn't anything you could do to stop me from telling anyone." I grin evilly.

She directs a hard glare at me. It took most of my willpower not to fidget under that silver gaze. She straightens and once again I find myself facing someone, finally, who can match my "ice-cold" gaze.

"If you so much as _suggest_ what you witnessed to anyone else, I will _end you!_"

* * *

~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~

Once again I grab him by his collar and draw his face close to mine. "Or if you even happen to write it down….on a….piece of paper…." My voice fades as I remember something. _Paper? Oh shit!_

I let go of the white-haired captain. He gives me a puzzled look but I think I heard him sigh in relief. I just ignore him and I think, trying to remember what it was I forgot. My eyes grow wide. "Shit!" Captain Hitsugaya gives me a startled look. I look up; I hadn't noticed how late it was getting, the sky already blackening. I quickly turn and walk inside my house leaving the door open. As I rummage through my things, I turn and see him hesitating at the door. "Would you just quit standing there like that? Just hurry and get your ass in here!" His curiosity and my, erm, _invitation_ must have won him over. He stepped inside and looked around. I did a quick look-over at my home too.

It wasn't too messy, it wasn't clean either though. I had a lot of paper strewn everywhere, and some of my mangas were occupying the extra space on the table in the small kitchen off to the side. I finished my search in the living room, whose only real purpose was to connect the kitchen and my room. It wasn't really big enough to entertain guests, with the only real seating being a small, oak green couch which was now occupied by even more mangas and papers. I moved to my room, the captain following behind me, to which I didn't object. I wasn't shy about my room, I honestly just didn't care.

I rummaged through the papers on my desk, which was nestled between my bed and my overflowing bookshelf. A small window occupied the wall beside my bed with a closet directly across from it on the other side of the small room. Captain Hitsugaya continued his survey of my room from his spot on my bed. How he found room to sit down beside all the mangas and plushies on my bed confused the hell outta me but I didn't ask, I had finally found my notebook. _Now to find a pen…_

Grabbing a stray pen off of the bookshelf, I turn and face the captain, a plan forming in my head. "You know seeing as you are in my house and everything, I do believe I should properly introduce myself," I hold out my hand. "My name is Mizuru Himoto, sixth year at SoulReaperAcademy."

He takes my hand and shakes it. "And I'm Toshiro Hitsugaya, captain of squad ten."

I finally got a chance to really look at the young captain. I had noticed he was about an inch taller than me, so maybe 5'1"? His pure white hair was cut short with it spiking out in the back and he had bangs that hid most of his brilliant, turquoise eyes. He had a childish look to his features but he parried that with the hard jaw line and the intense gaze. I could tell he hardly smiles, _really _smiles. He wore the usual captain uniform, a black kimono covered by a short-sleeved haori with the squad's number on the back. He kept his zanpakuto strapped onto his back using a small, gold chain. To top it off he wore a wide and tattered green scarf.

Captain Hitsugaya noticed my pause and looked at me curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering why someone would wear a scarf at this time of year; it's the middle of summer."

"If you must know, it's mainly because I _can_." He blushes. "And can I have my hand back?"

I blush, I had forgotten this whole time I was holding his hand. I quickly snatch mine back feeling the chill you get when something warm is gone. I push on with my plan, ignoring my throbbing heart. "Well since were best buddies now," He raises his eyebrow at 'buddies'. "Can you do me a favor?"

He sighs and I look at him as sweetly as I could. "I have a feeling I may regret this, but….fine." I smile and hug him, not noticing his red face. He gulps. "What's the problem?"

"Well see, I have this paper due, tomorrow, and I was wondering if you can do it for me?"

"No way."

"What?! But…"

"I said no."

Figuring he wasn't going to change his mind, I resorted to Plan B. I smiled, but not with any of the sweetness from before. The captain stiffened, sensing my changed mood. Before he could bolt I grabbed him by his shoulder, hard. He tried to hide it but I could tell he winced and his heart started beating faster. I leaned in, my lips brushing against his ear. "See the thing is, you have no choice," I cooed, letting my evilness grow. "Because, if I remember correctly, I wasn't the only one going to that candy store." His eyes widened then narrowed, realizing what I was implying. _Oh yeah, I can be a bitch if I want to._

* * *

_2 hours later~_

~Toshiro's p.o.v. ~

I grumble to myself as I finish up the paper Mizuru forced me to work on. I sigh, she was right, I really had no choice. Like her, I couldn't afford anyone to find out about, um, _that_. So I reluctantly agreed to write the paper for her. She promised that after this we would be "even". As I continue to write, Mizuru walks in, now dressed in a black, thin-strapped tank top and grey sweatpants. She comes over and leans her back against the desk, crossing her arms. I noticed her arms were wrapped in bandages, from her wrists to her shoulders. I hadn't seen them before due to the fact that the uniform she wore had long sleeves which covered her arms. I was curious but I didn't want to pry.

Mizuru speaks after awhile. "So I know it's really late, so um, if you want, you're welcome to stay here tonight. I have to get up early for school anyway so I could just wake you too…" She trails off and turns away, but not before I catch a red tint spread across her face. I consider her offer. _Well, I am really tired and I really don't feel like going back to the barracks. It's not like there is anyone waiting at home for me, besides a drunken lieutenant…_

"Alright, I'll stay." Mizuru turns, startled, I guess surprised at my answer. "Oh ok, yeah, I'll go grab some blankets. You're going to have to sleep on the couch, ok?" I nod my agreement and she walks off mumbling to herself.

I set the finished paper down on the desk and I was about to turn and check on Mizuru when another paper catches my eye. I pick it up to get a closer look at it and my eyes widen. _This…this…is the Class Placement exam scores? _I quickly scan through it, looking for the overall score. I stifle a gasp. _What! These must be fake, there's no way the score could be this high! It's even higher than mine! _I hear a chuckle behind me. I whirl around to face Mizuru; I hadn't even heard her walk up behind me. "I see you found my exam scores." She flops onto her bed. "My best friend Makina always tells me I could've been more if I just apply myself and work harder. I could've even graduated early, like you, if I wanted to." She throws a small smile my way. "I just can't seem to work hard, I'm just too lazy." She sits up and swings her legs around to face me. "I just wanted to come and let you know the couch is ready whenever you want to go to bed."

"Thanks, I'm exhausted," I stand. "I'm just going to go get some sleep now if you don't mind."

"Ah! Wait!" Mizuru jumps up and walks over to her closet. I stand there waiting as she rummages through her closet. She shuts her closet and walks over with a bundle of clothes in hand. She blushes a little when she noticed me staring. "Well I just figured you need something to sleep in. I don't know how well they'll fit though."

"It's fine, thank you." I take the clothes from her. One was a normal-sized black t-shirt, the other a pair of white board shorts with green stripes going down the sides. I give her a questioning look. "What? I don't do bikinis." She shoves me out of the room. "So yeah, oyasumi Captain, see you in the morning and whatnot." She closes the door behind me.

I yawn; I hadn't realized the extent of my exhaustion. I walk over to the now cleared couch, wondering where all the papers went. I undress and put on the makeshift pajamas, setting my uniform on the small table beside the couch. Surprisingly, the clothes fit pretty well. They were on the small side, but it would do. I lie down onto the couch and close my eyes, sleep comes soon after.

I wasn't asleep long before I awoke the sound of a door opening. I slow my breathing back down and pretend to be asleep. Mizuru glides silently out of her room and walks toward me. She leans over me, checking to see if I'm asleep. Her eyes seemed as if they were glowing in the darkness. Seemingly satisfied, she stands back up and heads out the door to what I presume is the back yard. Knowing I shouldn't but too curious to care, I get up and follow her, masking my spiritual pressure.


	3. Chapter 3:Confession & a New Friend

**Hello, again. i figured it might clear things up if you went to my site of origin and checked out the chapters there. also for those impatient people you can read the next ones there too if you don't want to wait for my re-uploads: (since i cant upload a link apparently, go to quizzilla. teennick. com and either search Black of the Night or the user jAzzSan47**

**so yep, there are some other stories up there too:) and just fyi if you want to go there to read this then this chapter will make it end of chapter 9 so far, if you go there you may want to check out the prequel/info too**

* * *

I crept up to the door. When I made sure she had moved away from it I slid it slightly open, enough so I could see but she couldn't see me. I gaze around the backyard looking for Mizuru. I spot her standing in the middle of the yard, surrounded by practice dummies shaped like hollows. My curiosity spiked when she drew her zanpakuto and held it front of her horizontally, one hand clutching the hilt and the other pushed against the blade. The air around her became heavier, as if the water in the atmosphere gathered there. She quickly swiped her hand against the blade, releasing her zanpakuto. "Strike them down, Mizu Hebi!"

I couldn't believe my eyes, her zanpakuto started to _melt_. I watched as the blade melted and turned into water. She kept her hands stretched out in front of her as the water split and started to wrap itself around both of her arms, from her wrists to her shoulders. It looked as if blue ribbons were wrapped around her arms, but I looked closer and saw the water was barely touching her and also moving around her arms faster than a human eye could follow. _At that speed, it could really do some damage if directed at something…_

As if reading my thoughts, Mizuru dropped her hands to her side and took a breath. She then launched into a graceful, yet deadly, dance. As she whipped her arms about the water flew from her arms slicing the dummies into pieces. I noticed the water had been gradually increasing on her arms and when she stopped, out of breath, it was covering her whole arm with threads of water coming from it seemingly from the air itself.

I also saw her attempt to lift her arm again and have it fall back limply by her side. I saw through the water the bandages on her arms stained with blood, the wounds being reopened. I saw her knees begin to shake, unable to hold her up any longer. I ran out and caught her when she collapsed, unconscious. As I carried her back inside, she coughed and spoke before slipping away again.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't enough…"

* * *

_The next morning~_

~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~

I groan as I sit up, my head throbbing in protest. _What the hell happened last night? _I was about to lay back down and sleep for a hundred years when there was a knock at my door. "Hurry and get up or you're going to be late." I sat there confused for a second before I remembered Captain Hitsugaya spent the night. The footsteps receded from the door and I jump up to get ready, but too soon. My head and body scream in pain, every inch of me burning as if I was being torn apart. He runs in, apparently my body wasn't the only one screaming.

He holds me as I gasp in pain. It was only then I noticed the bandages on my arms had been changed. I look up at Toshiro and when I see the concern on his face I remember. I remember me slipping out to train, pushing my self past my limit, falling, strong arms holding me close, and the words I'll never forget.

_"I'm sorry, it wasn't enough…"_

_"No…you've done enough; you really shouldn't push yourself so much, baka. People would miss you if you died…"_

I stare into his turquoise eyes, and the pain is replaced by another kind of throbbing. "Toshiro?"

He looks as if he's about to say something but changes his mind. "Yes?"

I lean into him, burying my face in his chest, surprising him. "Thank you, thank you so much." He doesn't say anything; he just wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer. I want to stay like this forever, but that would be too selfish of me. I lean back. "I have to get going, we graduate tomorrow so I can't miss today and I'm guessing you have work to do."

Toshiro nods and stands, then leans over and helps me up. I wobble a little but I regain my balance. "I have to get ready, so if you would-" Toshiro heads out, understanding my meaning. "I'll wait, I'm going to walk you to the academy, you still don't look good." With that he walks out and shuts the door behind him. I dress, putting on my uniform. I brush out my unnaturally blue hair and tie it up with a black ribbon. Grabbing my zanpakuto, who was propped against my desk, I leave the room and head outside, where Toshiro was waiting for me.

We walked in silence for a while before Toshiro turns towards me. "It may be none of my business and you have all the right not to tell me, but, what were you trying to do last night?"

"I was training." Toshiro looked ahead, but he still listened so I continued. "I…want to become stronger. I know I can, Mizu Hebi told me himself. I never want to be helpless again. I died because I had to rely on someone else, and even they couldn't save me." I looked at Toshiro and saw the shock on his face. "What?"

"You…you…you remember how you died?"

I paled, I said too much. It was just so easy to talk to him I forgot that no one knows I can remember pieces of when I was alive. My cool demeanor evaporated, I started to panic. _Will he tell? No, he wouldn't, would he? Will this just be yet another secret I ask him to keep? Can I lie and say I didn't? No, I might as well be honest…_ I take a breath. "Yes, I remember that and other things as well. But no one knows so can we keep this between us? You also have every right to tell the Head Captain or anyone else for that matter." I mentally cross my fingers. It seems like a lifetime before he responds.

"You're wrong; I have no right to tell anyone. I asked you and you told me in confidence, I respect that. You don't need to worry; I give you my word that I won't tell anyone." He stops walking and I realize we have arrived at the academy. I ignore the curious looks and hushed whispers from the other students. What I couldn't ignore though, was the shocked look from Maki and also the fact that she was _speechless_.

I stumble, still a little shaky on my feet. Toshiro takes my arm to steady me and I think Maki was about to have a heart attack. I walk over to her with Toshiro following close behind. "Good morning Maki."

"G…g…good morning Mizu-chan." She turns to Toshiro and bows. "And good morning to you Captain Hitsugaya, it's an honor to see you this morning."

"Thank you, now can I leave Mizuru in your care? I have work I must take care of back at the barracks." Without another word he turns and walks away. I sigh, bracing myself for the bombardment of questions and I swear Maki takes a deep breath before launching into them. "What was that all about? Why was he here? Are you two a thing now? Why didn't you tell me about this? What happened yesterday? _What the hell is going on Mizuru-chan?_"

She stops, but only because she ran out of breath, I use that time to say the one and only thing she needed to know. "I did it again Makina-chan." She freezes and wraps her arms around me, knowing by my rare use of her full name exactly what it is I'm talking about. Maki comforts me, stroking my hair as I bury my face in her shoulder, another rare thing. "Oh Mizuru, you're going to kill yourself one of these days. You can't keep pushing yourself like this."

_Toshiro told me the same thing last night._ But I didn't want to hear it again. I pushed away from Maki and made my way to class, with her following close behind. As we take our seats in class Maki leans toward me, a question forming on her lips. I groan, already knowing what she was fixing to ask. "So, Mizuru, why was _he_ the one walking you to school?"

She emphasized the 'he' even though I knew fully well who she was referring to. I attempted to pretend I didn't hear her and tried to focus on what sensei was saying. Of course, this was impossible. She, much to my annoyance, continued to poke me in order to get my attention. I had reached my limit, when she went to poke me again I grabbed her finger and pulled her close growling. "Maki I swear to God, you fucking touch me again and I will snap your finger in half and feed it to a hollow."

Maki just grins, undaunted by my threats. "Well now that I have your attention I ask you again, why was he with you this morning?"

I sigh, giving up. "Well you see, he wa- ouch!"

The whole class laughed as I rubbed my head where the chalk sensei had thrown hit me. I scowl and sensei shakes his head. "Miss Himoto, this is the second time I had to tell you to pay attention. I want you to stay after school and help clean the school to get ready for graduation tomorrow."

He turns back around and continues with the explanation of shikai and bankai. I outwardly groan but inwardly I'm doing a victory dance. I had escaped telling Maki about Toshiro. I hated keeping things from her, but there are things she didn't need to know. Maki threw me an apologetic glance then furiously continued scribbling down notes that I already memorized, writing was too much of a hassle. Also, unbeknownst to them, I had already learned how to release and manifest my zanpakuto. Now the only question was to learn how to control and master it. Mizu Hebi had told me there were different techniques that I had to learn, but he refused to tell me anymore than that. _Damn that liquefied snake, always making my life harder._

I got through the rest of my classes and I make my way to the auditorium to 'help' with the cleaning. I talk with one of the other students who were also 'asked' to help out. She was medium height with long black hair and brilliant blue eyes. She points me towards an extra broom in the corner. "When you're done sweeping you can help me put up the decorations if you want."

Her small attempts to be nice put me in a lighter mood and I offer her a small smile. "Thanks, I'm Mizuru."

I hold out my hand and she shakes it. "And I'm Kimori, but you can call me Kimi. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

I nodded and went to go get the broom. I started to sweep and continued like that for an hour or so until I finished sweeping the whole auditorium. I put the broom back up and with some free time still on my hands I went to find Kimori. I wasn't too disappointed when I couldn't find her, I just figured she had finished and gone home. I walk outside and head home; I really had nowhere else to go. I stop though, something had caught my eye. I gasped in surprise. _Is that who I think it is?_ It was.


	4. Chapter 4:Graduation & a New Squad

**Wow i just realized that what was a 24 chapter story is turning out to be only like 6 or 7 chapters...huh**

**you could probably tell where the chapters stop/start I like leaving cliffhangers ;)**

* * *

"Hey stranger." I hugged the small blue-eyed, black-haired boy.

Hanataro smiles. "Hey Mizuru, how are you?"

"I've been better." Hanataro laughs. "So what are you doing all the way down here? I'm sure someone as important as you has no business with us lowly academy students." I teased.

Hanataro sadly shakes his head. "No, I'm still only a seventh seat nothing special about that." I raised my eyebrow and Hanataro stepped back waving his arms in front of him. "Ah…but…um…I'm the leader of the 14th Advanced Relief Team!"

"That's great! How well does the fourth squad treat you?"

"Eh, they still make fun of me but I'm getting through it."

"You just need to learn how to stand up for yourself; I can't keep kicking their asses for you."

Hanataro smiles. "I'll keep that in mind Mizuru."

"So really, why are you here?"

"Some kid fell off a ladder and they had no other available squad members so I got called to come out. Now I'm glad they did, it's really nice to see you again it has been to long." He hugs me again and leaves promising to keep in touch and wishes me well at graduation. I wave goodbye and turn to head home, bumping into something. _Something feels familiar…_

I looked up and, as I guessed, saw Toshiro's face looking down at me. I blush at him being so close and I back up a couple steps. "What are you doing here? Were you waiting for me?" I meant it as a joke but his expression told me otherwise.

"No." He lied. "But since I'm here, um…can I walk you home?"

"Sure." _He's a horrible liar._ I walk beside him as I set off once again for home. Toshiro made an attempt at a conversation. "So I hear you guys graduate tomorrow…"

"Yeah."

"You ready?"

"I guess…" I didn't understand what he was saying but I answered anyway. The conversation stopped there and we walked in silence the whole way to my house.

I stop in front of my door and turn to tell Toshiro goodnight. Before I can get a word out, Toshiro steps closer to me and gently takes my face into his hands. I should've died; I could swear my heart stopped. He pulls me close and closes the rest of the distance by softly kissing me. I couldn't help it; I close my eyes and lean into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck.

The kiss seemed to last forever but when we pulled apart it seemed to have been only a second. Toshiro holds me a while longer but eventually he had to let go. "I have to go; Rangiku will flip if I'm gone again. I just want to let you know that…I really like you Mizuru. I hope you feel the same…" Without another word, Toshiro shunpos off leaving me there with my head, and my heart, reeling. I touch my lips, where his icy taste lingers.

* * *

~Toshiro's p.o.v. ~

I run into my quarters slamming the door behind me. I sit on the edge of my bed and bury my head in my hands, cursing myself. _You ran! What the hell is wrong with you? You should've stayed; she's probably extremely confused right now thanks to you! _I groan. "Why did I do that? She must hate me now…"

"Who hates you?"

My head shoots up to see Rangiku leaning in the doorway. She comes in and shuts the door behind her. "I'm sorry Captain if I'm intruding, but you've been acting strange lately and it was the last straw when you ran past me a moment ago, shutting yourself in your room. Now, tell me what's the matter Captain."

I look down, away from her accusing glare. "Why should I? It's none of your business."

She grabs my shoulders and shakes me roughly. "Damn right it is my business! You are my Captain and I am worried about you!" Her tone softens and I look up and see concern in her eyes. "Captain please, what is troubling you so much?"

I sigh and she sits down beside me. "It's silly, you'll laugh…" She glares at me so I'm forced to continue. "It's….it's a girl…" I blush furiously as she starts to laugh.

"HAHAHA, really Captain! To think I was worried over something so trivial!" She nudges me. "Soooo~ what's her name?"

"Himoto, Mizuru Himoto…" I squirm, uncomfortable discussing this especially with Rangiku of all people.

"'Water princess' huh? That's a really pretty name." Rangiku gushes. She keeps pressing me for details so I am forced to tell her everything I knew about Mizuru, well not _everything_. I keep some things to myself. Rangiku sits quietly beside me and smiles. "She sounds like a real catch, but what I don't get is why she would hate you?"

I groan. I figured Rangiku would've forgotten about that. "Er, well you see…" I explain what happened. Rangiku stares at me incredulously. She quickly regains herself and grins. "I know exactly what you need to do!"

I'm wary but I decided to listen to what she has to say anyway. She jumps up and puts her hands on her hips. "You are going to go to her graduation and tell her how you feel _again_ and then listen to what she has to say, if she feels the same or not!" She spins around the room excited. I stay silent. I had considered this, I just wasn't sure if I should or not, but now I have made up my mind.

* * *

_The next morning~_

~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~

I groggily roll over onto my back, forcing my eyes open. I stare up at the ceiling waiting for my head to clear before I got up. I didn't get much sleep last night. Even though I had gone to bed I stayed up late trying to sort through exactly what happened. I close my eyes and touch my lips, remembering the events of last night. _He kissed me then said he liked me, I understand that much… The real question is,_

_Do I feel the same?_

My thoughts are interrupted by a loud banging on my front door. _What the hell?_ I stumble out of bed but not before I hear a shout. "Mizu-chan! Get your ass up! Do you know what time it is? You're going to be late for _graduation_!"

My eyes widen and I stumble again, trying to get ready. _Shit, shit, shit, shit! _I quickly get dressed, grab my zanpakuto, and bolt out of the house running into Maki. "There you are! We have to go, _now_!" I nod and using shunpo, dash past her to the school. Maki scowls. "Lucky bitch, with that speed she's never late, no matter what time she leaves." With that she runs after me.

I stop in front of the auditorium doors. I let out a breath. _Ha, I made it._ _Oh, wait, I think I left Maki behind…oh well, she'll get here._ I calm my beating heart and compose myself, putting on my mask of indifference and walk through the door. The first face I see is, surprisingly, Kimori. "Hey Kimi!"

She looks around for who called her. She spots me and waves me over. I join her and two other people who I guess are her friends. "Good morning Mizuru-chan, I'd like you to meet my friends Firuki and Saida." She motions to each in turn. Firuki is a shy-looking girl with silver hair and intelligent purple eyes. She has a kind smile which she offers me as I shake her hand. Saida looks like a rash and outgoing kind of girl. She has auburn hair and blue-grey eyes. She grins as she shakes my hand. "It's nice ta meet ya Mizuru!"

"Thanks, it was nice to meet both of you." A bell sounds, signaling that it is time to begin. All the students bustled around each other crowding the auditorium. I quickly look around for Maki. I sigh in relief when I see her slip through the door, out of breath. I start to walk over to her but the graduation host, a small and bubbly woman, steps up to the stage. I focus my attention on her and promise myself to apologize to Maki later.

She coughed and launched into a long speech which I barely pay attention to. She first thanks everyone for coming and how all the teachers were honored to teach us and shape us into fine young adults. I yawn and she wraps up the speech. _Thank god._ She looks around catching the eyes of everyone in the crowd. "On this day a new pinnacle has been reached, admire all that you have accomplished in these six years. You all have been bestowed the power to become what you are now. You conquered your death and became stronger. But now you must look forward and anticipate the challenges that have yet to come. Because from this moment on I now pronounce you all full-fledge shinigami! Embrace this moment, for it is truly yours!"

There is such a loud roar of cheers you could barely hear what she said next. She patiently waited for the cheering to die down before she repeated it. "Ehem, well now when you hear your name called please continue to your designated exam room to meet your new captain. The captains have all seen your exams and just want to assess your skills before making a finial decision."

We all waited some more patiently than others, while she called our names and told us where to go. I was assigned to exam room 2b along with a group of other students. I again look for Maki and catch sight of her walking in a different direction. I'm disappointed; I hoped we would've been in the same squad. I remind myself that the decision isn't final and I cheer up. I continue with the others toward the exam room. We walk into an empty room. I bring up the rear and push my way to the middle of the spacious room. While the others murmur to each other in confusion, I observe my surroundings out of habit.

A glint of light in a corner catches my eye. My eyes widen realizing what it is. I shout a warning and draw my zanpakuto jumping in front of a small girl, blocking the attack. I parry the attacker with a blow of my own pushing them away from the panicking students. The attacker straightened and I saw they were wearing the full body uniform of the stealth force. I frown, confused. _What the hell is the stealth force doing here? Even more than that, why would they attack us?_

I hear a chuckle and I whirl to face it, zanpakuto held in defense. A lean figure steps out of the shadows. "Very impressive!"

My eyes widen and I quickly bow, the other students following my lead even though they still have no idea what is going on. "Your praise is an honor Captain Suì-Fēng."

The Squad 2 captain stands in front of me. "What is your name?"

"Mizuru Himoto, Captain."

"Well Himoto I am impressed with your skill. Not only were you able to see my subordinate, you also had the speed and the strength to block and parry his attack." She looks up and addresses the rest of the group. "As for the rest of you I am extremely disappointed. If this were a real attack, she would've died!" She motions to the small girl I 'saved'. "You also must be willing to lay your life on the line to protect your squad. This is exactly what Himoto did even though she had no idea who this girl was."

I don't turn around but I can feel envious eyes glaring at me. I keep my composure but on the inside I am dying. _So harsh…_ Captain Suì-Fēng crosses her arms. "There is one thing I must admit, even though you were slow, most of you drew your zanpakuto. You backed up Himoto even if you had no idea the details, you knew there was an attack and got into the defense positions. That quick thinking is another thing I'm looking for."

I then turn around and, sure enough, I see about half of the group had their zanpakuto drawn with hard expressions on their faces. The rest were shuffling their feet looking away in shame. Captain Suì-Fēng motions toward the door. "I must ask the other people to leave, I don't want you in this squad." She waits for them to leave before continuing. "Congratulations, welcome to Squad 2."


	5. Chapter 5:Love, Memories, & a Mission

**here we are once more :) Are you guys liking it so far? Just be grateful you're not like the other people who had to deal with my erratic uploading... well anyway, as soon as i catch up on here with this i will be uploading my other works in progress, but now i have to write the chapters longer...oh well you guys can deal, right?**

* * *

We all broke into smiles, some even high-fived each other. My heart swelled with pride. _Wow, _the _Squad 2! Know for being one of the fastest squads and controlling the Stealth Force! _My new captain snaps her fingers and yet another Stealth Force member appears beside her. He is holding a bundle of clothes. "Here are your new uniforms. I will give you a day to settle into the barracks. Tomorrow I want you in uniform and ready to go."

We each take a uniform as we leave. I grab mine and I'm about to walk out the door when Captain Suì-Fēng calls me aside. "I was serious before when I said I was impressed with your skill. You have the potential and qualities of a leader. How would you like to be my third seat?"

I was shocked. _Third seat? Wow… _"It…it would be an honor Captain!"

She nods and leaves, I just stand there speechless. _Squad 2 and third seat? Hehehe, I must be dreaming!_ I run out the door to find Maki.

* * *

~ Toshiro's p.o.v. ~

_Damn that was annoying…_ I walk back into the main auditorium. I really hate graduation day. My ears are still ringing from the girls' shrieks when I announced they were a part of Squad 10. _I bet Mizuru wouldn't have acted like that. _I shake my head and sigh. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her since last night. I couldn't wait to leave the exam room so I could find her. Now that I'm in the auditorium I look around hoping she hadn't left yet. I don't see her but I spot the girl she was talking to yesterday morning.

"Good morning." I walk over to her. She bows and returns the greeting.

"Good morning Captain Hitsugaya."

"Hn, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name yesterday."

"I'm Makina but you can call me Maki, Captain."

"Hn," I shift uncomfortably. "Can we talk somewhere privately?"

She slightly tilts her head, confused, and then she smiles knowingly. "Of course Captain, right this way." She leads me down a hallway; unknowingly to me the same one Mizuru was leaving. "So you like Mizuru-chan?"

"Ah, is it that obvious?"

"Hahaha, no I'm just a great observer, especially when it comes to my best friend." She smiles at me as we walk down the hall. "She's a secluded kind of person, that Mizuru. She may be friendly but she keeps a whole lot of things to herself. It's very rare you see her open up to people. She doesn't want to come across as troublesome to others. You must be patient with her. Always be there for her even if she tries to push you away, you never know when she will need a shoulder to cry on."

"I will." I am about to say more but someone runs, literally, into me. _Really? Again?_ I looked down at the blue-haired girl, and blush. "Ah…g-good morning Mizuru-chan."

"Good morning Toshiro!" Maki raises an eyebrow at her lack of formalities. "I have amazing news! But first, Maki what squad did you get into?"

Maki beams. "I got into Squad 4! Captain Unohana was really impressed with my kido skills! I can also see Hanataro all the time now! Isn't that great? What squad did you get into Mizuru-chan?"

The earlier glow in Mizuru eyes diminished, but she still keeps a smile plastered on her face. I frown with worry. _What happened?_ Mizuru shifts uncomfortably. "Ah, I got into Squad 2…"

"That's great isn't it?" I say. Then I remember something. "Oh, you two won't be in the same squad."

Maki shakes her head. "No, that's not it; we were expecting that to happen. There is something else, isn't there Mizuru?"

"I-I," Mizuru hesitates, but to our surprise breaks into a huge grin, the glow back in her eyes. "I was also named third seat!"

Maki laughs and tackles Mizuru, wrapping her into a hug. I wish I could swoop her into my arms right then and hold her. But I just smile and offer her my congratulations. Mizuru untangles herself from Maki's grip. "Agh, Maki _get off_, are you trying to kill me?"

"Ha sorry, I was just trying to be a good friend. But I have to go anyway; I have only a week to move into the barracks!" She hugs Mizuru one last time and takes off back down the hall, leaving us alone.

Mizuru frowns. "Lucky, I only have a _day_ to move in."

"I could help, ah if you want some help…" I tried to act as nonchalantly as I could.

Mizuru smiles and my heart is sent flying. "That would be great Toshiro, thank you."

She passes by me to leave but before she does I take her hand. _It's now or never._ She looks up at me, a small blush on her cheeks. "Toshiro…"

"No, let me speak. I really like you Mizuru. I love your smile, your fearlessness, your laugh, your intelligence, and your ability to selflessly help others. I want to be there when you need me, to support you, and to dry your tears. I want to be that person who makes you laugh and who you want to be with everyday. I want to make you happy; I want to be in your life if you'll let me. But say the word and I will leave."

To my surprise she leans toward me and quickly kisses me. She smiles. "I never was good with words."

"Then don't talk." I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her back into the kiss. I feel her push closer and she wraps her arms around my neck. We lose ourselves into each other, completely oblivious to anyone else. I didn't need anyone else; I had my whole world right in my arms.

* * *

_Later~_

"Aaggh!" I fall backwards, dodging a plushie aimed at my head. I struggle to sit back up and look down at the now closed manga that had fallen off my lap. "Dammit Mizuru, you made me lose my place!"

"Good! You're supposed to be packing them, not _reading _them!" She tsks at me and continues shoving her things into boxes. I sigh and return to packing her thousands of manga. _I will just get it from her later._

After we had kissed, we held each other until she pointed out it was time to go. We would have to use all the time we had to pack her things and move her into the barracks. Luckily she decided to donate most of her mangas. So were only down to three boxes of manga, two of plushies, and one of clothes. _Is it sad when a girl has more books than clothes? _I place the last manga in the box and tape it shut. Mizuru sighs in relief. "Thank god, I thought we would never finish." She softly kisses me on the cheek. "Thanks to you, I would've never finished in time by myself."

She stands and pushes the boxes next to the door. "Now just have to take these to the barracks." She looks out the window to an orange sky. "And I better hurry."

"Hey, I'll help." I go to stand beside her.

"Are you sure? I don't want to keep you from anything."

"It's fine, I promise." I take two of the boxes and walk out the door. Mizuru follows behind me with the remaining box and shuts the door behind her. We quickly walk towards the Squad 2 barracks. I remember something. "Mizuru, since you're the third seat doesn't that mean your also the commander of the Detention Unit of the Stealth Force?"

"Yeah, that's right. I will be in charge of the unit who are responsible for the imprisonment and supervision of all criminals within the Seireitei." She sighs, "That's going to be a lot of work."

I didn't know what to say. Not much was known about the Detention Unit. Luckily I didn't have to say anything. We had arrived. Standing out front was the large and obnoxious lieutenant, Marechiyo Ōmaeda. The lieutenant digs his hand in a bag of chips. "Mmm you must be the last rookie, it took you long enough."

Mizuru growls and I step in front of her stopping her from attacking him. _If only he knew._ Lieutenant Ōmaeda gasps in surprise. "Oh…uh…sorry Captain Hitsugaya I didn't see you there, please I'll show your friend to her room right away!" he shuffles away and we follow him a he leads us through the barracks. Mizuru chuckles. "This place is really fancy and extravagant for a squad known for its secrecy and stealth."

The lieutenant puffs out his chest. "Uh huh, and it's all thanks to me! I put in the automatic doors and heated floors. The barracks even have a hot spring in the back." We walk down a hallway and stop in front of a door. "Here's your room, though I don't know why Captain put you down here. These are the living quarters of the seated officials." He unlocks the door, hands me the key, and wobbles off pulling out yet another bag of chips.

Mizuru walks into the spacious room dropping her box onto the bed. I place the others beside the door. "Well here you are. Can you handle the rest?"

"I'm sure I can open a box and unpack my things by myself Toshiro."

I blush. "I didn't mean it like that."

She crosses the room and kisses me. "I know you didn't, I appreciate your help. Honest." I wrap her in a hug. "I have to go Mizuru; I'll try and see you tomorrow. Do you want to meet for lunch?"

"I'll try and see if I can, I hear that Captain Suì-Fēng is a real slave driver."

An amazing thing happens, I laugh.

* * *

*Elsewhere*

Rangiku's head shoots up. _Something's not right…_

* * *

*Back at the Squad 2 barracks*

_~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~_

I give Toshiro a quick kiss goodbye and shut the door behind him. I go to unpack my things. The room is really big with its own bathroom. It has a good sized closet as well and, to my delight, a large bookshelf. I unpack all my manga first and place them neatly onto the shelves. I then unpack my multitude of plushies arranging them on the queen-sized bed. In the second box I remove the plushies to reveal what was hidden underneath.

I remove the small white jade box and set it down carefully on the floor. Opening it I remove the silver medallion from its cushioned home. Etched on its surface was a white dragon curled around the edge. I clutch it close to my chest and a flood of memories embrace me.

_I giggle as I sit on mommy's lap. I play with her long hair; it's the same color as mine. Daddy sits beside us and is talking with mommy about something. I know it's serious because they're not smiling. Daddy runs his rough hands through his black hair. I giggle again; it's standing up in funny ways. I turn back to mommy and something shiny catches my eye. I reach for mommy's necklace and tug on it. "No, no Mizuru sweetie." She gently removes my small fingers from it. "This is mommy's special necklace, when you grow into a fine woman then I will pass it down to you." I yawn and smile as she gently rocks me to sleep, singing. Her soft and beautiful voice floats through the house._

I wipe away the tears that run down my face. I place the medallion back into the box and softly shut the lid. I slide the box under my bed, promising to find a better place for it later. I finish all my unpacking by placing my clothes in the closet. I throw on my pajamas and crawl into bed, exhausted. I fall into a troubled sleep, nervous about tomorrow's events.

* * *

I wake to warm sunlight on my face, melting away the nightmares from last night. I sit up and blink my eyes a few times to adjust to the bright light. I stretch and start to get dressed when there is a knock on my door. "Captain Suì-Fēng has ordered a squad meeting. It is mandatory for you to attend, do not be late."

The footsteps recede, running on to pass the message to the other squad members. I tighten my sash holding my Shihakushō closed. I also wrap Mizu Hebi's sheath around my waist, securing him around me. I walk out my door having no idea where I have to go. I decide to improvise and follow the other people who were dashing out of their rooms for fear of being late. I yawn. _Agh, not enough sleep, again._

I follow the growing crowd to a large assembly hall of sorts. I didn't see anyone I knew and I wasn't in any mood to make new friends so I just leaned on a far wall separate from everyone. When the final stragglers showed up Captain Suì-Fēng made her way to the front of the room with Lieutenant Ōmaeda close behind. She commands full attention when she stands up there. "As most of you know we have taken on some new recruits, I won't bother with introducing them though. I would like to introduce to you though our new third seat and new commander of the Detention Unit, Mizuru Himoto."

She catches my eye and motions for me to join her. I sigh and casually walk up, eyes following my every movement. Whispers of doubt reach my ears; I just raise my head defiantly and ignore them. _They will see. I will erase all doubt from their minds!_ I catch the eye of the small girl from yesterday. She shyly smiles at me and waves. I return the gesture and take my place next to Lieutenant Ōmaeda and face the squad. There a mutters about my small stature. _They should know by know not to judge a book by its cover by now. Take Toshiro for example._

Captain continues on. "Don't take Third Seat Himoto lightly. I have seen her skill and was impressed by it. I am positive she is the perfect candidate for this position." She turns to me. "Just remember this; if you see your allies losing, that's your chance. Don't step between them. Take the enemy down from behind. And if the enemy is so strong you can't even do that then just watch your ally be killed. That's what it means to be Onmitsukidō (Stealth Force). Understand?"

I nod, unsure of what to say. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_ Captain Suì-Fēng dismisses everyone and tells me to follow her. She leads me into her office and stands behind her desk. "I have a mission for you Himoto. One of the criminals we have been keeping an eye on has escaped into the World of the Living."

"I'm guessing you want me to track them down and bring them back?"

Her face hardens. "No, I need you to track them down and eliminate them. I have already prepared a team for you to take with you. You will also be cooperating with Squad 10 since the criminal was being watched in their district. Captain Hitsugaya can give you a better briefing on the suspect; make sure you get in touch with him. You will be leaving in three hours so make sure you get everything you need for this mission."

"Captain, may I bring another person with me on this mission?"

"Who do you have in mind?"

"Makina Pariko of Squad 4." I prepared as many reasons for her to go in case Captain refused. To my surprise she nodded her consent. "I will get in touch with Captain Unohana and have her meet you at the Senkaimon."

"Thank you Captain." I bow and force myself to _walk_ out the door instead of running through it like I wanted. I look out a nearby window. Seeing what time it was I run out of the barracks to go meet Toshiro for our lunch date. I found him standing outside the gate to the barracks. I smile and he wraps me in a hug. "Hey Toshiro, what are you doing here?"

"I realized we never said where to meet, so I decided to wait for you hoping you hadn't already left." He kisses my forehead. "Ready to go?"

I nod and he takes my hand. "Follow me, I know a great place."

He leads me to a small dumpling stand in the town. "This place is great, trust me." He pays for our food and hands me one. I stare curiously at the small dough balls. He notices my look. "What's wrong?"

"Well, I've never had one before…" I blush as he stares at me.

"You're kidding."

"Ah, no."

"Well here you go, you can try them now, right?"

I look down at the dumplings again. I hesitate before I take a bite. I lick my lips enjoying the flavor. "Wow these are really good!"

We walk and talk as we eat. We had finished our lunch when I remembered what Captain Suì-Fēng had told me. I turn to Toshiro. "I've been given a mission."

"Already?"

"Yeah. Captain said I should ask you for the details. Something about an escaped criminal…?"

He freezes; when he speaks again his voice is shaking. "She put you on _that_ mission? Oh god no…"

"Toshiro what is the matter? Who is this guy? I have to know."

He hesitates before answering. "Amurai Kursagi, an A-class criminal, a very dangerous man who has killed hundreds of shinigami before he was caught. He escaped earlier this week and our sources tracked him to the World of the Living where we lost sight of him."

"Where in the World of the Living?"

"KarakuraTown."

I shiver at the mention of my old home. I look up at the sky and gasp at how little time I had left to get ready to leave. Toshiro sighs. "I guess we better go get ready to leave then?"

"Yep." We head to Squad 4 to get the provisions we need for the mission. We walk in and I spot Hanataro waiting for us. I smile and hug him. "So you're our farewell party?"

"Yeah sorry, I'm all you get." He hands both of us a small book bag. "Here you go, I packed them myself so don't worry. I didn't put as much food in there because you will probably be staying with one of our contacts there. Good luck Mizuru and be safe." I hug him one more time before Toshiro and I turn and leave.

As we walk to the Senkaimon something kept nagging at me. "Toshiro, what did he mean by 'contacts'?"

"You'll see when we get there." Before I could protest, we arrived at the gate. I made a quick assessment of who was there. My team consisted of 7 Detention Unit members and Maki was waiting off to the side. I saw though a certain bald shinigami and arrogant feather-eyed shinigami. "Ikkaku, Yumichika! What are you two doing here?"

"Well Captain told us we had to help out so here we are!" Yumichika smiled.

"Yeah and we're meeting Renji and Rukia there as well." Ikkaku impatiently twirled Houzukimaru. "Can we leave now?"

One of my subordinates spoke up. "Yes Commander, since everyone has arrived I suggest we hurry and leave."

"You're right. Everyone get your shit together we're leaving!" We stood and waited for the gate connecting our two worlds together to open, Hell Butterflies hovering above us. When the gate fully opens I step through, my love on one side and my best friend on the other, ready to face anything that is thrown at us.


	6. Chapter 6:Arrival & Recognition

**'sup again guys so i have my shit back now so I should be able to upload the final chapter if you guys wanna check it out. Also feel free to review this, please :3 I may have already written this but im not against going back and editing something for sake of making it better okay? okkkk please enjoy!**

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We stand outside a small shop and I pull uncomfortably at my gigai. _No wonder Rengi always complains about this damn thing._ I smile though when I recognize this place. _It has been a while Mr. Urahara, hasn't it?_ My smile widens when he steps out of his shop in his usual attire and a grin on his face. "My, my, isn't this a wonderful surprise? Ururu, Jinta come greet our guests!"

At his call they come out and stand beside him. The red-haired boy scowled and crossed his arms. "Oh great, now we got a whole bunch of moochers. As if Rengi wasn't enough."

"Jinta-kun, that's not very nice…" Ururu quietly protests. Urahara just laughs. "Come now everyone, let's go inside to talk. Ururu-chan can you make us some tea?"

We all squeeze inside the store. Urahara catches my eye and quietly whispers. "It's good to see you again, Himoto-chan. I was so sorry to hear about your parent's death. But we will have to talk later, away from curious ears."

"Yeah." I follow him into a large room and sit around the table with the others. "So, speaking of Renji, where is he?"

"He's on patrol with Kuchiki-chan and Kurosaki-san."

The name was new to me. "Who?"

Toshiro answers for him. "Ichigo Kurasaki, a Substitute Shinigami that has helped out the Seireitei more times than we can count."

"Hehe, man I haven't seen that hot-headed boy in a while. I wonder if he has gotten any stronger." Ikaku cracks his knuckles and Yumichika rolls his eyes. Urahara coughs. "Now then, shall we get to the matter at hand? I'm sure you have all been briefed about the suspect?" We all nod and he continues while Ururu pours out the steaming tea. "Good, now we can get straight to the point."

As if on cue, Tessai comes out pulling a screen behind him. The lights dim as a picture is projected onto the screen. It is a picture of a middle-aged man with black unkempt hair and a scraggily beard. His grey eyes had a blood thirsty look in them that made me shiver. "The man you see here is the notorious, Amurai Kursagi. As you know he has been last spotted in this quaint little town. Unfortunately, that is the only useful information we have on this guy. So to gather information without rousing suspicion Mizuru's Detention Unit will keep watch in the area and report in daily while the rest of you shall pose as students at Kurakara High. I have already enrolled all of you and you start tomorrow."

I groan. _Really? I just got out of school…_ Toshiro offers me a smile that no one but me notices. _Well at least I will be with Toshiro._ "Now one last thing before you leave. I must offer a warning to all of you. This man is extremely dangerous and has killed hundreds of people. The last people he murdered were actually the head of a family of well-respected seers, Kashiko Himoto, and his wife Suta Himoto."

_So that's why that name sounded so familiar…_ Everyone turns to look at me. I sigh and stare at the picture. "Yeah, he's the man who murdered my parents and left me without anyone." A silence follows my words and Toshiro holds my hand comfortingly. "That is why this guy must be found before he can hurt anyone else. And I will be the one to stop him."

Urahara coughs drawing out attention back to him. "Well then, now that you all know the details you are dismissed. We don't have enough rooms to accommodate all of you so you're gonna have to find a place to stay." We all stand and leave. Outside we split up, Ikaku and Yumichika going one way arguing about someone named Mizuho and my team spreading out to patrol the area. I'm left alone with Toshiro. He starts walking so I follow him. "We're you going?"

"To a friend's house." He doesn't say anymore and I don't ask. After a while we stop and I read a sign on the house. _Kurosaki Clinic? Is this where that Ichigo guy lives?_ He rings the bell and I hear shouting coming from inside. "Yuzu, there's someone at the door!"

"I got it dad!" The door opens and reveals a small, brown-haired girl. "Oh! Toshiro, I'm sorry but nii-chan isn't here right now. Why don't you come in and wait, he should be home any minute."

"Thank you." Yuzu leads us into the living room where there is a black-haired man fighting over the remote with a black-haired girl. "You two stop fighting! We have guests!" They stop and pull apart, Yuzu sighs. "This is my sister Karin and my dad." She turns to me. "I know Toshiro, but I haven't met you before."

"I'm Mizuru, I'm a friend of Toshiro's." The dad appears in front of me and takes my hands. "Hi, I'm Isshin Kurosaki, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance my dear. Are you here to see Ichigo? Do you know him from school? Are you new? I'd be happy to introduce him to-" Karin rams her fist into his side and he falls coughing to the ground. "Don't you ever shut up? She just said she doesn't know him!"

I give a questioning look to Toshiro and he just shrugs. While Isshin grovels on the ground the front door slams and a voice calls out. "Hey everybody I'm home!" A tall orange-haired teenager walks into the living room. Something stirs inside of me. _He looks familiar, but how?_ He looks confused when he spots me and Toshiro. "Hey, dad we're going to my room okay?" He motions for us to follow him. We go upstairs to his room and he shuts the door behind us. I plop down onto the bed and Toshiro stands beside me. Ichigo crosses his arms. "So why are you here Toshiro?"

"Dammit Ichigo. It's Captain Hitsugaya to you." He tenses, annoyed.

"Whatever."

I roll my eyes. "We're here on a mission."

Ichigo turns to me. "Who are you?"

"Mizuru Himoto, Third Seat of Squad 2."

Ichigo runs his fingers through his hair. "Okay, so you're on a mission. What are you doing here?"

I look at Toshiro wondering the same thing. He sighs. "We need a place to stay."

Ichigo thinks for a moment. "Well Toshiro, you both can stay here for tonight. Tomorrow, though, Mizuru's going to have to stay with Orihime for the time-being. Don't worry I'm sure Orihime won't mind. She'd be glad to have the company."

His closet door slides open causing me to jump. I stare as Rukia hops out. "R-Rukia?"

She ignores my stammering. "Captain Hitsugaya, I'm assuming this is the Kursagi mission you're referring to?"

"Yes."

"NEE-CHAN!" I shriek when the small stuffed lion that was sitting beside me leaps up and attaches itself onto Rukia. She calmly bends down, rips him off her leg and throws him against the wall. I stare at the small lump on the floor. _What the hell?_

Toshiro chuckles at my expression, earning stares from everyone. "Hahaha, he's a perverted mod soul named Kon, don't worry too much about him."

"'Don't worry too much about him' you say?" Kon humphs in protest. "I'll have you know I helped in a lot of missions and not once have any of you shown any gratitude. I actually think-" Ichigo grabs him and shoves him in a drawer, locking it. "Sorry about that. Now what were you saying about this mission?"

Toshiro explains the mission to Ichigo. "We need your help to track down this man."

"Sure, I have nothing better to do." He squirms under the stare I direct at him. "Oi, it was a joke! I'll help!" His expression turns serious. "I agree this man must be stopped and I will everything I can to bring him down."

I admire strawberry's determination. I jump again when a small beeping emits from my soul pager. _Damn, I've been jumpy ever since we came here!_ The beeping was echoed by Toshiro's and Rukia's soul pagers. We pull them out and look at the screen. "It's a hollow," I say. "And it's nearby."

I throw open the window and a breeze blows through the room. We all come out of our gigais. Ichigo digs through Kon's body, pulls out the pill, and swallows it. "Take care of our bodies Kon!" He calls as we dash through the window. I grin as we head towards the signal. "Let's go kick some hollow ass guys!"

We slow as we approach the area where the signal was coming from. I stare out at the river. It wasn't hard to see, the light from the full moon brightly illuminated the area. I quickly scan the area searching for signs of a hollow, hand on my zanpakuto's hilt. We didn't have to wait long. With a loud cry the hollow materializes beside us. It had a snake-like body with no legs and whip-like arms. Its mask was long and narrow with small slits for eyes and horn-like protrusions coming from the top. I draw my zanpakuto and charge at it with Toshiro flanking me on my right, Rukia on my left, and Ichigo behind me.

I leap and shunpo behind it, trying to catch it off guard. I slash down but my zanpakuto is blocked by one of the arms. I jump back to regain my balance but before I can its tail lashes out at me and I'm slammed back to the ground. "Mizuru!" Toshiro parries off a tentacle and rushes to my side.

"Agh, I'm fine dammit!" I cough and spit out blood. I struggle to stand; leaning on my zanpakuto I regain my footing and, with Toshiro close beside me, launch into another attack. I slice one of the arms that had latched itself onto Rukia in two. She nods her head in my direction. "Thanks Himoto."

"Don't mention it, Lieutenant."

**_"Aggggh, damn you Ssshinigami! I will rip you all to ssshredsss and feassst on your soulsssss!"_** The hollow hissed in pain as Rukia buried her zanpakuto in its back. I circle around and slash down from behind. To my surprise the same arm I had sliced off leapt from the ground and wrapped itself around me. I feel an odd sense of déjà-vu when Ichigo catches me and sets me on the ground. My eyes grew wide when I caught sight of his zanpakuto as he sliced it front of him. "Getsuga Tensho!" A blinding light of condensed reiatsu shot out of his zanpakuto and sliced off the lower part of the hollow. As it writhed in pain Toshiro stabbed through its mask, breaking it. The hollow disappeared and so did the arm that was still wrapped around me. I stood, shaking, and walked over to strawberry who had a grin on his face. Toshiro appears beside me and I lean on him, mind reeling. Ichigo's grin falls when he sees my face. "Hey, Mizuru, are you ok?"

"It's…it's y-you…" I stammer.

"Excuse me?"

"You're the boy from that night, the night I died!" I'm answered by stares from everyone. I get dizzy and Toshiro helps me sit back down. As Rukia tended my wounds I told them the story of that night to ease their confusion.

"I was five at the time. It was about a month or so after my parents' murder, I was staying with a friend of the family. I was bored one night so I decided to go visit one of my friends who lived a few blocks away. I had snuck out of the house and was walking down the street when a hollow appeared nearby, yeah I could see hollows. I panicked and ran when the hollow caught sight of me. I had no idea where to go, eventually I got lost. It was near the park where I caught sight of Ichigo; of course I didn't know him at the time. I screamed out as the hollow caught me, fatally wounding me. He freed me from the hollow's grasp and stayed with me until I died."

There is an uncomfortable silence at the end of my story. Ichigo nods his head. "Yeah I remember now…But what bothers me is that was only a couple years ago, shouldn't you be seven then? Not however old you are now…"

I scowl. "I'm fourteen. You should know though that the time in the Seireitei is different than time in the World of the Living!"

"Yeah that's true, but what bugs me is how you can remember all this?" Rukia poses the question I always knew I would have to answer sooner or later. I look up at Toshiro and he holds me for support. "Well, I'm really not to sure of the details but I think it has something to do with the fact that my family are seers."

"Oh you mean like fortune tellers?" Ichigo interrupts.

I cringe at the crude name for my family. "No! My family isn't cheap scum who pretend to see the future and ghosts just to weasel money out of innocent people. What my family did was full of honor and was to console the family of a dead loved one and only _dared_ look into the future when the utmost need arose. As to how I can remember my past, I always figured that if my family could see the future when they were alive it would make sense to say I can remember the past when I'm dead."

"Can you see the future, or, could you?" Ichigo asks.

"No, I was too young. Even now without my parents to teach me I would never be able to learn to harness our family's power." I stand, stretching, and thank Rukia for healing me. I yawn. "Ah now are we through here? I'm exhausted!"

Toshiro smiles, earning stares from everyone but me. Ichigo nods in agreement. "Yeah let's head back to my place."

He walks off with Toshiro but Rukia holds me back. "Mizuru, is there something going on between you and Captain Hitsugaya?"

"I…uh…well…" I don't know what to say. _Should I tell her? Not even Maki knows yet so would that even be fair?_ Frantically, I search for something to say. Luckily Rukia pulls away. "Nevermind, you don't have to tell me but sooner or later someone's going to find out."

She walks away and I let out a breath of relief. I made up my mind though. _I will tell everyone after telling Maki and talking with Toshiro about it._ I don't dwell in my thoughts too long though. I run to catch up with the others; I forgot how to get back to strawberry's place.

I catch up with the others and we jump back into strawberry's room. I grudgingly put my gigai back on. Ichigo knees Kon in the stomach to make him spit out the pill and shoves it back down the throat of the lion. Leaving Kon screaming behind us, we follow Ichigo back downstairs. His family was sitting around the table while Yuzu was busy stirring something in a pot on the stove. Isshin looks up at Ichigo. "Hey now, it's getting kind of late, don't your friends need to get home?"

"Well actually I was wondering if they could stay here for tonight."

"Oh? Well I guess that's fine." Yuzu brings over some bowls of food and sets it on the table. "Dinner is ready you guys."

We crowd around the table; I sit between Toshiro and Karin. I am enjoying my bowl of ramen when Isshin, out of nowhere, smacks Ichigo on the head knocking him to the floor. "Ha-ha! Never let your guard down son!"

Ichigo retaliates by throwing his bowl at him and roundhouse kicking him that sends him flying. Yuzu jumps up. "Stop it you two, not at the table and not while we have guests!"

I look over at Karin. "Is this a regular thing?"

"You get used to it after awhile." She continued to eat, ignoring the full scale war happening in the living room. I followed her example and finished my bowl and placed it in the sink. I thanked Yuzu for the meal but I highly doubt she heard me. I grew tired of Ichigo's and Isshin's quarreling so I walked over and, as they were running toward each other, I tripped them. But before they even hit the ground I grabbed them by the back of their shirts and threw them onto the couch. This was done in less than a second.

While everyone tried to understand what just happened, I walked up to Yuzu with a smile on my face. "Thank you for dinner Yuzu. Could you show me where I will be sleeping, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Ah, n-no, sure…right this way…" I tell everyone goodnight and she leads me down the hall to one of the empty rooms in the clinic. I thank her and she closes the door behind me, mumbling to herself. I stretch and throw on some extra pajamas that Yuzu had placed on the bed. I bury myself under the covers and fall into a troubled sleep plagued with nightmares.

_I open my eyes and blink. My eyes focus and I see bars. _Bars?_ I turn my head and look up and see something dangling above me. _A mobile? Am I in a crib? _I hear someone giggling and I try to see who it is. It takes me a while before I realize the laughter is coming from me. I hear a soft thud and turn to see my mom standing in the doorway. I try to call out to her, asking her what is going on, was her death just a bad dream that I woke up from? Instead I just hear myself coo and reach out for her. She crosses the room and gently lifts me out of the crib and holds me close. I snuggle close to her, relishing in her sweet scent and soothing heartbeat, something I haven't heard in a while. I feel someone scratching me under my chin and I open my eyes to see my dad looking at me with a smile on his face. He picks me up and tosses me in the air; I giggle and squeal in delight when he catches me. My mom scolds him. "Kashiko, be careful! She wasn't born with wings you know!"_

_My dad just laughs. "Who knows? Maybe I'm just testing if she grew a pair while we weren't looking." He kisses my mom's cheek as she rolls her eyes. "She is the most precious thing in the world to me, I promise I will protect her Suta, I won't let anything happen to her."_

_"Hmm, yes, it's such a shame she couldn't do anything to protect ussss…"_

_Startled, I go to look at my mom but they weren't there anymore. Instead I am standing in a doorway, shaking, looking down at my parent's lacerated bodies. I step back, away from the pooling blood. Their bloodied, lifeless forms appear before me. What used to be my mother reached out to me and caressed my cheek, leaving a trail of blood. "Why…why didn't you help ussss? We died because of you, why? Why didn't you stop this from happening?"_

_My dad comes up from behind and grabs me. I can't do anything; all I can do is shake in fear as he whispers in my ear. "I'll tell you why. It's because you're uselesssss, you aren't worth our time! We should just kill you now and get it over with!" He tightens his hold on me, crushing me. I squirm trying to get away. I look pleadingly at mom but she just laughs and walks away. I now find my voice and let out a choked scream._

"GGAAAAAAHHH" I untangle myself from the suffocating hold of my blankets. I hug myself and gulp in air, trying to calm my beating heart. I glance at the clock, 2:08 am. Standing, I quietly dress, pulling on a pair of jeans and a black hoodie, and make my way out of the house. I softly shut the front door behind me and breathe in the crisp, autumn night air. I walk down the street, unsure of where to go; I just needed to go somewhere. I cross my arms in front of me as a cold breeze blew against me. Stopping, I realized where my feet had led me, the cemetery where my family and I am buried. Making my way through all the tombstones I find my burial site. Beside me on the left is my dad and on the right is my mom. I kneel down and run my fingers over the headstone, tears running down my cheeks. I do the only thing I know to ease my aching heart; I sing my mother's lullaby.

_Natsuhiboshi,_

_why are you so red?_

_Because I had a sad dream last night._

_My eyes are red from the tears I shed,_

_swollen as I cried._

_Natsuhiboshi,_

_why've you lost your way?_

_I'm searching for a child whose gone afar._

_He can't be found though I search all day,_

_my sad dreams come once more…_

Strong arms wrap around me. Sobbing, I lean into Toshiro and he holds me close, stroking my hair and murmuring words of comfort. We stay like this, long after the tears ceased to flow. I snuggle close and kiss him on his cheek. "Thank you for being here, but I'm sorry if I worried you."

"It's alright," He returns the kiss. "Next time though don't hesitate to tell me if anything is wrong ok? I'll be glad to help you with whatever it is, you should know that Mizuru."

"I will, I promise." I close my eyes and listen to his strong heartbeat. I let out a contented sigh. "I love you, Toshiro."

He kisses me. "And I love you Mizuru."

**A/N: hey so rawr 3, just fyi Natsuhiboshi is from Naruto from the Star Clan arch and yes I BORROWED it cause it's really pretty and i looove it but I DO NOT OWN IT kk.**


	7. Chapter 7:School & Weren't You a Friend?

__**Rawr hi. :) so after this fic is over I'm going to upload some of my other stuff but before I do that I'm going to rewrite them to make them fit on here and since i think FanFiction frowns upon profile/info chapters...but unless you guys are cool with it I mean you ****_are_**** the ones reading them so if you think that would be better? anyway enjoy this lovelyishness:)**

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_~Toshiro's p.o.v. ~_

After a while Mizuru's breathing slows, she had fallen asleep. It was late and I, too, was tired, but I didn't want to move and wake Mizuru up. I can't help but blush when I look down at her small, sleeping form. _She looks so innocent and helpless, why can't she always be like this?_ Even though I laugh, I shake my head. Her rash and headstrong personality is one of the things I love most about her. How she's not afraid to stand up for what she believes in and what she cares most about. I cradle her in my arms and stand. A cold breeze blows and Mizuru snuggles closer to my chest. I smile and start walking back to Ichigo's house.

I carefully open the front door and make my way to the room Mizuru was staying in. I gently lay her down and cover her with the blanket. Kissing her forehead, I go to leave but I can't bring myself to leave her. My heart pangs when I think about her screams from earlier. I never want her to experience that kind of pain and heartbreak ever again. I sit beside her on the bed and softly run my fingers through her hair. _I love you, Mizuru. So from here on I promise to always be by your side and protect you from the things I can and help you overcome the ones I can't. _I vowed to myself. Mizuru let out a small sigh as if in response to my promises.

There is a soft knock at the door and I turn to see Ichigo standing in the doorway. "Get some sleep, Toshiro. She'll be safe here."

I give her another kiss and join Ichigo, closing the door behind me. "She may be safe from physical harm, but what can I do to protect her from her internal battles?"

"Absolutely nothing," I look up at Ichigo and he offers me a small smile. "Nothing but be there for her when she needs you."

I walk away but stop. "Thanks Ichigo."

"No problem."

"Oh, by the way Ichigo."

"Yeah?"

I turn towards him and smirk. "It's Captain Hitsugaya to you."

Ichigo just laughs and walks off. "Good night, Toshiro."

I sigh. Shaking my head, I go into the room I am staying in, which was just a couple doors down from Mizuru's. I close the door and flop down onto the bed, not bothering to change out of the clothes I was wearing. We were getting up in a couple hours anyway. I roll over onto my side and attempt to get some sleep. I must have finally fallen asleep because I awoke to a pounding on my door. "Toshiro! Wake up! Don't make me come drag your ass out of bed!"

I ignore Mizuru's threats and roll back over, trying to go back to sleep. _Why do I have to go to the damn school too anyway?_ The pounding on the door stops so I figured Mizuru had given up. I was _very_ wrong. The door slams open and Mizuru storms in, already dressed in the girls' school uniform. She throws the covers off the bed and I was glad I left my clothes on last night. She then grabs my collar and drags me to my feet. I grunt in protest. "Agh, ok, ok, I'm up!"

She smiles brightly and I felt shivers go down my spine. _How can she be so cheerful after that?_ "Good, Yuzu made breakfast. You missed it but I saved you some. If you hurry and get ready you might actually have time to eat before we leave."

She turns to leave but I pull her back and give her a quick kiss. "Good morning."

She kisses me back and laughs. "Good morning? If you don't hurry it will be good afternoon!"

She continues to laugh while she leaves; I roll my eyes and ignore her teasing. I get ready and meet everyone outside, forgetting about the breakfast Mizuru saved for me. Ichigo surveys our small group. "We all here? Alrighty then, let's head-"

"Heeeeeey guys! Wait for us!" A loud shout cuts him off. We turn and see an odd pair walking towards us. As they drew closer I recognized Renji and Mizuru's friend Maki. Maki skips over to us while Renji trudges behind her. Ichigo laughs when he sees Renji. "God Renji, you look like shit. Who's your friend?"

Renji just scowls and ignores Ichigo. Maki comes to Renji's rescue and introduces herself. "Hi! You must be Ichigo! I'm Maki! It's great to meet you! Renji's told me a lot about you!"

Renji blushes and whips his head around to glare at Maki, but she pretends not to notice. Everyone else starts to laugh. I turn to Mizuru. "Is she really that clueless?" I whisper. Mizuru shakes her head and grins. "No, she's just that _evil_."

Maki is about to continue her onslaught but Rukia interjects before things started to get ugly. "I hate to spoil your fun but I believe we should be getting to school before we're late."

"Right! We don't want our cover blown so soon!" Mizuru walks off heading to the school. We all follow close behind. Ichigo looks over at me. "Hey, does she know where she's going?"

"Of course silly!" Maki pops up beside him. "Mizu-chan never goes to a new place without scouting the area first! It's a habit of hers. And she also used to live here…remember?"

Ichigo nods and looks back ahead. We walk in silence from then on as Mizuru lead us to the school. She stops in front of the school and we crowd around her. Mizuru tsks. "I just graduated; I don't want to come _back_."

"Look at the bright side Mizu-chan, we all have the same classes together!" Maki smiles and Mizuru just rolls her eyes. Thanks to Urahara our schedules were all the same in case something happened we could all be notified and leave at the same time. "Hey Ichigo!" A group of Ichigo's friends run up. Ichigo returns the greeting and introduces them to Mizuru and Maki. "Mizuru, Maki these are my friends Uryu, Chad, and Orihime."

"Hi! It's nice to meet you guys!" Maki smiles and greets them warmly.

"Hn." Mizuru eyes them warily. Luckily they either don't notice her suspicion or they just ignore it and they greet the rest of us. As Ichigo was arguing with Uryu about something Mizuru continued looking around. I was about to ask what was wrong but then she points something out. "Where are Ikkaku and Yumichika?"

As if on cue they stroll up behind us also arguing about something. Mizuru rolls her eyes. "Tch, that's Ikkaku for ya, not really good for much and always late."

_Is she trying to start something?_ Ikkaku whirls around to face Mizuru. "What'd ya say? I don't care if you're a chick, I'll kick your ass!"

"Bring it chrome dome! I'd like to see you try!" Mizuru tenses and prepares to swing at him. Ichigo and Uryu are too involved in their argument to notice and everyone else was just standing there watching, waiting to see what would happen. I move to stop them but Maki holds me back. I stare at her incredulously and she laughs at my reaction. "Trust me, just watch and see what happens!"

Reluctantly I take her advice and watch. The tension between the two was so high you could almost see sparks between them. Mizuru continues her verbal attack. "You can't do shit! I could destroy you with one hand tied behind my back!"

"Oh yeah? All you're good at is talking! You're even worse at kido then Renji!"

"Hey!" Renji objects.

Mizuru laughs. "Look who's talking! You're lucky that you got into the Eleventh Squad, where they don't use kido, so no one knows how sucky you are!"

"You wanna prove that?"

"Yeah bring it! The one who wins is the best at kido!"

They both get into defensive stances. I prepare to jump in and stop the fight. Surprisingly they bring their hands in front of them positioned as if they were gonna-

"ROCK…..PAPER…..SCISSORS…..SHOOT!"

_Huh? Really? _We all stare at the outcome; Mizuru- scissors, Ikkaku- paper. Ikkaku twitches as Mizuru pumps her fist in the air in victory. "Haha! I win again! You suck at rock, paper, scissors too!"

"Not fair! You cheated! You read my movements again!"

"So? Show me in the rulebook where it says I can't! You're just a sore loser!"

"I am not!"

I tune out the rest of their arguing. I notice some of the other students staring at me and Mizuru. _Tch, even here people judge you on your appearance. It's sickening. _Orihime softly taps my shoulder. "Um, Toshiro-kun?"

"Yes?"

"You really shouldn't let people like that bother you." She smiles. I blush and turn away. "You shouldn't judge them to harshly either. They just don't know you yet. I'm sure when they get to know you they'll like you as well as we do!"

Ichigo and Uryu must have settled their argument because they walk over to where the rest of us were standing. Uryu pushes up his glasses that were falling off his nose. "I suggest we head to class now. We've wasted enough time standing here."

We all nod in agreement and make are way into the building with Mizuru and Ikkaku bringing up the rear, glaring at each other. Yumichika sighs. "This is going to be a long day…"

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_Later~_

I glance over to where Mizuru is sitting and smile. She is fast asleep, yet again, using her textbook as a pillow. Ms. Ochi was either ignoring her or just really didn't care. She made no attempt whatsoever to wake her up. She was also ignoring the obvious argument between Renji and Ikkaku in the back of the classroom. I sighed, uninterested in the lecture she was giving and let my gaze wander to the window. The sun started to reveal itself from behind the clouds and I just could _tell_ that it was going to be hot despite the fall season. I tsked and was about to turn away when a bright glint caught my eye. I look closer, trying to determine where it came from.

The glint came from a golden hairpin belonging to a girl with long black hair pulled into ponytail. The hairpin was pulling back her bangs revealing her bright blue eyes. I assumed she goes to this school because she was wearing the girl's uniform and looked about our age, well human-wise anyway. Nothing about this girl seemed suspicious, but still, something just seemed _off_. She kept looking over her shoulder and checking her phone for the time. Since it was the last class of the day it wasn't unusual for a student to be picked up early. So to anyone else it would seem as if she was waiting for a parent or friend. I only hoped that was who she was waiting for.

My suspicions were eased when she smiled and waved over two girls similarly dressed; a shy looking, silver haired girl with wide violet eyes and a rambunctious auburn haired girl with grayish-blue eyes. From this distance I can't tell how tall they are but I can guess they're…taller than me by…several inches. Even though nothing is wrong I can't seem to tear my eyes away from the girls. No, I wasn't attracted to them, though I guess they were pretty, in a sense. I just still had that feeling of unease gnawing at me. I continued to watch them, just to make sure. They started talking about something but from this distance I couldn't make out what they were saying. Though, whatever they were talking about had something to do with the school because they kept motioning towards it, or more specifically, this room. While the other two keep talking, the black haired girl pulls away from the conversation and stares up at me, as if knowing I was watching them. _No wait, she's not looking at me…_

I turn to follow her gaze and jump when I see Mizuru who was silently standing beside me, her silver gaze locked on the girls outside. I cough trying to draw her attention from the window and from who I was looking at. I tried to act nonchalant. "Um, Mizuru? What are you doing?"

Her hard gaze never wavered from the window as she answered. "Class ended ten minutes ago Toshiro."

My eyes grew in disbelief. _It couldn't have been that long, it was only a second! Right?_ I peered around her and found the classroom void of any student presence. She turned and smiled, but her eyes gave her away. "As I said class has ended already and everyone's waiting on us so come on!"

She takes my hand and drags me out of my chair. I follow without protest. I frown, worried, behind her as she pulls me through the hall. For some reason the air suddenly became really dense and heavy. It was if the air around us, no, _her_, was crying.

* * *

_~ Mizuru's p.o.v. ~_

Thousands of thoughts and feelings rush through my head as I drag Toshiro behind me. _What the fuck was that? Why are Kimori, Firuki, and Saida here? What were they talking about? What was with that look she gave me earlier? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!_ I let go of Toshiro's hand and run to get outside, leaving him confused behind me. "Mizuru? Wait!"

I mentally apologize to Toshiro, but I need my questions answered. I dash out the front door past Ichigo and everyone who were waiting outside. "Hey…Mizuru? Where's Toshiro? Wait! What's wrong? Mizuru!"

Ichigo tries to stop me but I ignore him. Maki motions to the others and she quickly follows me. Never one to question my intentions she runs behind me without a word, trusting me and ready to back me up if needed. I slow to a jog when I reach the side of the school where the three were standing. I search the area for any signs of where they might have gone, but to no avail. "Damn it!" I kicked the ground in disgust and everyone but Maki gives me a bewildered look. I bury my face in my hands, my emotions overwhelming me.

A light hand is placed on my shoulder. Maki gives me a sad smile. "We can't help you if you don't tell us what's going on, dummy."

"You're right, my bad." I calm myself down. Turning towards the others, I tell them about how I met Kimori and her friends and how I saw them out here earlier. Rukia nods her head as she listens. "While I agree that is kinda weird, how do you know they aren't here on a mission of their own?"

"I don't. But I have this really bad feeling about this… I can't explain it. I don't want it to be something bad, but I'm normally never wrong about these things." I look up towards the school, the same way Kimori did. A loud sigh echoes through the yard. I turn and see Ichigo scratching his head. "Well I guess we have no choice then," He gives me a lopsided grin. "If you feel so strongly about this, we're just gonna have to help you find the truth. Isn't that right guys?"

Renji grins as wide as Ichigo. "Yeah, can't let you have all the fun now."

Rukia nods. "Got to make sure someone keeps you out of trouble."

Ikkaku scowls and turns away. "Why would I help that pompous bitch?" Yumichika swiftly hits him on the back of the head. "Don't say such ugly things, what Ikkaku means to say is 'yes Mizuru, we'd be glad to help you because you are a good friend of ours'."

I thank them for their help and turn to Ichigo's friends. "Hey look guys; I'd understand if you wouldn't want to help-"

"Forget it." Uryu gives me a hard glare. "If Ichigo is gonna help so are we. We come as a package deal you know."

I stare in awe as Chad and Orihime nod their agreement. Here I was, a complete stranger, and they're willing to risk their lives to help me. My face breaks out in a smile and I thank them. A shout draws my attention back to the front of the school and I spot Toshiro jogging over. My smile grows and I wave him over.

* * *

_~ Unknown p.o.v. ~_

_A small girl shifted her weight on the tree branch that served as her hiding spot. She pushed away the silver wisps of hair that fell in her eyes. "Quit squirming, dammit!" Her partner growled behind her._

_The small girl turned to apologize but stopped when she met the glare of those grey-blue orbs. Shivering, she quickly turned around and continued watching the target keeping them in her sight. Her bossy partner kept complaining behind her. "Tch, when are when going to get that order to strike? The target's in perfect position. What the hell is Kimori thinking?"_

_She tsked and ran a hand through her hair, untangling the auburn threads. The silver haired girl winced. "Saida-san, don't speak of Kimori-sama so unkindly. I'm sure she knows what she's doing. You just have to be patient."_

_She ignored the smaller girl's comment but got back into position anyway, hand on her sword's hilt and crouched ready to spring on the signal; the other girl in the same stance but with an arrow strung and pulled tight ready to pierce the unlucky victim's flesh. They stand there for what seems like forever. A crow caws, almost mockingly._

_"CA-CAW"_

_"CAAAW"_

_"CA-CA-CAAW"_

_The auburn haired girl laughs. "Shame she has to die." Her partner can only nod as she lets the arrow fly. A sure death from an archer who never misses._

* * *

_~ Toshiro's p.o.v. ~_

I had finally caught up to Mizuru after she had left me behind in the school. "Hey!" I shout, catching her attention. She smiles and waves me over as a crow caws. _Damn birds, they always sound like they're laughing at you._ I had almost reached her when I noticed an unmistakable shape in a tree a few yards behind her. I quickened my pace, a warning ready on my lips. But too late. I watch in horror as the arrow plunges itself deep in Mizuru's back, piercing her heart. I screamed as my world shattered.

_"MIZURU!"_


	8. Chapter 8: Fall of a Princess

**Sorry i ended the last one there:) it was short but i still think that was the best place to end it, ne? trololololol... u mad bro?**

**so anyway this one should be longer:), maybe:P**

* * *

We were all out of our gigais with zanpakuto drawn as she fell to her knees. I caught Mizuru when she fell forward and cradled her in my arms. She didn't make a sound. Pain and anger welled up inside me. "After them damn it!"

My voice cracked as I motioned to the two fleeing shadows. Everything went by in a blur. Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika immediately take off in pursuit as to not lose sight of them. Ichigo soon followed after telling his friends to stay here. Maki stayed with Mizuru too. Two of Mizuru's subordinates appeared and Maki yelled at them to get their asses in gear and follow them.

When they left, Maki laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. She told me to hold Mizuru tight. She was going to pull out the arrow so she could start healing the wound. I simply nodded, unable to form words, but when I looked down at her normally luminous silver eyes and saw them grey and lifeless; I knew it was no use. She was gone. I turned away and tightened my grip on her, unable to bear the sight.

I flinched anyway when I heard the sickening _schlick_ of the arrow being pulled out. I watched as Maki set the arrow aside and gently lifted Mizuru from my arms and laid her flat on the ground on her stomach. Maki positioned her hands over the wound and a soft, warm glow emitted from her hands. We watched in silence as she healed Mizuru.

It was like a blow to the stomach when Maki looked up with tears in her eyes. "It's not working! The wound's not closing; I don't know what to do." She balled her fists in her lap as tears ran down her face. "Mizuru's always been there to help me and now when she needs me the most, I can't do anything!"

Uryu picked up the discarded arrow and looked at it closer. It was completely silver and the feather on the end was a bloody red color. He pushed his glasses up and we watched in shock as he snapped it in half with ease revealing the threads of reishi inside. "You're not doing anything wrong Maki-chan." He knelt beside Mizuru's body as he explained. "The archer placed these strands of reishi inside their arrows so when the arrows pierce through the body they leak out and hold the wound open so even if the victim doesn't die their wound can't be healed and they soon bleed out. But if I'm correct…"

He trailed off and we watched as held his hand over the wound, letting his Quincy bracelet dangle above it. My eyes widened and Maki gasped when small wisps of reishi floated out and got sucked into his bracelet. "H-h-how did you do that?" Maki managed to stammer out.

Uryu merely shrugged. "I'm a Quincy. We absorb surrounding reishi to make our weapons so I figured I would be able to absorb the reishi out of Mizuru's wound."

"It doesn't matter." My voice came out in a hoarse whisper. "Even if the wound can be closed now, it won't make a difference. She's gone. No amount of healing will bring her back…"

I let out a defeated cry and buried my face in my hands, sobbing. Orihime hesitantly sits beside me and wraps her arm around my shoulders. I don't do anything, no, I _can't_ do anything. Mizuru's death weighs heavily on my shoulders and I sit beside her still body, softly stroking her hair. Orihime, unable to bear my distress any longer, places her hands next her flower hairpins on her school uniform collar. Maki jumps back when a transparent orange dome appears over Mizuru's body. She looks up at Orihime realizing it came from her. "What is that?"

"Shun Shun Rikka." Uryu answered for her so she could concentrate on the healing. "The Shun Shun Rikka appear in the form of six spirits. Through various combinations of the six spirits, Orihime has the power to reject fate by denying or undoing events in various forms. What she is doing now is Sōten Kisshun, one of her four techniques. It's the power to surround something and return it to the way it was before it was rejects, reverses, and reconstructs phenomena that have occurred. Long story short, there's a good chance she can bring Mizuru back to life."

A spark of hope lit up inside me. I looked over at Mizuru and, sure enough, the wound on her back was gone, but her eyes were still dull and lifeless. It was agonizing having to wait, but what else could I do? I just waited and prayed silently that Orihime would be able to do the impossible and bring my water princess back to me.

Orihime looks up and gives me a small smile. "I've done all I can. It's now up to Mizuru if she wants to come back to us."

"Thank you Orihime." I turn back to Mizuru and lay my hand on hers. "Please, if you can hear me, come back. Please. Please, _I love you!_ So please don't leave me. Please…please…please…"

* * *

_~ ? p.o.v. ~_

_It's white._

_It's blinding. I have to squint and cover my eyes until they adjust. I look around trying to make out my surroundings. There isn't anything to make out. Nothing. It's as if I'm a lone drawing on a blank piece of paper. I seem to be floating. I'm lying on my back with nothing under me staring up at, you guessed it, nothing. This leaves just one other question._

_Who am I?_

_I can't remember. But I have to be somebody. Everything that exists must have a name whether we know it or not. Even ghosts, which I assume I am. My name is not the only thing I don't remember. My name, my age, my birthday, my parents if I had any, my entire life. Nothing, it's all a blur and it makes my head hurt if I dwell on it too long. _Well I'm not going to learn anything just sitting around here. _I try to sit up and right myself. When I do, my feet land on a hard surface which I take as the floor. I pick a direction and start walking, determined to find some answers._

_I don't know how long I've been walking. A few seconds maybe, minutes, days, even years. There is no definition of time here. It doesn't help that everything here is white with no real way to tell where you are._This is a seriously boring place. _I continue walking for a while and I soon come across something. It's a small table. It wasn't just strange being that it was the only thing here for miles but also that it was set for two. Curious, and seeing no one around, I head over to investigate._

_As I stand by one of the chairs, someone brushes by me. I look up and watch the woman sit in the chair opposite of me. She was young with long bright blue hair that flowed down her back like water. She looked up at me with wise, all-knowing eyes to match her hair except being a deeper shade. Smiling, she motions to the chair I was leaning on. "Please, have a seat. We have a lot to talk about."_

_I pull the chair out and sit. She nods, seeing the questions written on my face. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, but I'm afraid we're going to have to get right to the point."_

_"Please, answer one thing," I interrupt. "Do you know me?"_

_The woman smiles and warmth fills me. "You could say that."_

_She holds her hand up and stops my bombardment of questions. "I said I would only answer one of your questions. I don't have much time to explain to you what you are."_

_I look at her in confusion. _What I am? I'm more concerned about _who_ I am. _She sighs and folds her hands together. "There really is no easy way to explain this, so I'm just going to throw this out there." She points to my chest. "Deep down inside your soul is a power that has been around since your ancestors walked this earth."_

_"Let me guess, I can fly." My sarcastic remark cuts the woman off. She was silent for a while and I was about to apologize, fearing I had offended her, when I noticed her body shaking. _Well damn, I went and made her cry. _Thinking that, I was startled when she threw her head back laughing. Even her laugh was beautiful. I don't know why, but I had a feeling she sang a lot. She finally calmed down and wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Ha, no you can't fly. But the beings they controlled could."_

_"Huh?"_

_"As extreme as it sounds, thousands of years ago dragons roamed the earth. Your ancestors controlled these creatures and worked along side them. Due to this they were bestowed with the magnificent ability most called Dragon Sight. It was the ability to see into the future and make contact with the souls of the dead."_

_She shows me the necklace she was wearing. It was a round, silver pendant with a white dragon etched around its edge. A sense of familiarity tugs at the back of my mind, but I quickly dismiss it. "This was the clan's treasure. It was given to the current head of the clan's wife and later passed down to their daughter when she became of age or their daughter-in-law if they only had a son."_

_"What does this have to do with me? Are you saying that I'm part of some clan that worked with dragons?" I was confused. What she was telling me barely made any sense._

_She shakes her head and smiles. "No. You are not just part of the clan; you are the new head of it. It may be a few years to early but that can't be helped." She takes my hand in hers. "You are lucky you know. While dragons may have gone extinct long ago, you have a very powerful one residing in you just waiting to be let out."_

_"What? That doesn't make any sense! What are you talking about?" I came looking for answers but now all I have is more questions. The woman stares off behind me, as if something was calling her. She turns back to me. "If I was to say there were people waiting for you somewhere else, would you go back or stay here with me? Think carefully."_

_I thought about her question. I felt like the answer should've been obvious; go to where they were waiting for me. But for some reason I felt like if I chose that I would regret it. Part of me wanted to stay here with this woman. I felt like I knew her somehow. Also, there was something nagging at me, as if I had unfinished business somewhere. I took a deep breath and decided. "I'll go back."_

_She gives me a sad smile. "Are you sure? You can't change your mind once you choose."_

_I nod, although I was already regretting my decision. "I'm sure."_

_"Okay." She snaps and a black door appears beside us. I get up and walk over to it. I look back at the woman and she nods, encouraging me on. I lay my hand on the knob about to turn it. When I do a flood of memories rushes through me almost knocking me over._

_My name is Mizuru Himoto. I am 14 years old. My best friend is Maki Pariko. My old friends are Hanataro, Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Mr. Urahara. My new are friends Ichigo, Orihime, Uryu, and Chad. I'm a shinigami, third seat of Squad 2, under Captain Suì-Fēng. I'm in love with Toshiro Hitsugaya, captain of Squad 10. I came back to Karakura Town to catch and kill the murderer of my parents, Amurai Kursagi. Instead I was shot through the heart with an arrow outside the school when looking for who I thought were friends, Kimori, Saida, and Firuki._

_I turn back to the blue haired woman, who I now know is my mother. She smiles as tears run down my face. "I love you Mizuru. I am so proud of you. Your father and I both miss you."_

_I go to take my hand off the knob, but I can't. I want to run over, tell her I'm sorry, and have her hold me and tell me everything is going to be ok. She shakes her head. "It's time to go Mizuru."_

_The door slams open and sucks me in, screaming. I turn as I fall to get one last glimpse of my mom but the door is already closed. As I tumble through the darkness I could've sworn I heard my dad laugh and say. "Now don't come back before your time again okay?"_

_I cried as I fell._


	9. Chapter 9: The Battle Begins

I land with a thud on my stomach. My eyes flutter open and I see Toshiro sitting beside me, crying with his hands balled in his lap. Orihime is sitting beside him. I sense Maki, Chad, and Uryu on the other side. I cough and struggle to sit up, much to the shock of the others. Toshiro stares at me wide eyed and Maki hesitantly touches my cheek, as if making sure I was really there. Toshiro starts laughing and pulls me into a hug. "Thank you, thank you! Oh, I thought…I thought I would never see you again…"

"Ha! Sorry, you can't get rid of me that easily!"

Maki throws herself at me and starts sobbing. "Oh Mizu-chan! I'm soooo sorry! I'll never make fun of your sweets-eating habit ever again!"

I sigh. _Yeah, that's an empty promise…_ I stand with little help from the others and stretch. "Huh, it doesn't feel at all like I got shot in the back with an arrow…"

"That's thanks to Orihime." I stared at Chad who finally spoke and then turned to Orihime, smiling. "Thanks Orihime." I look around. "Where are Strawberry and the others?"

"Goddammit, don't call me strawberry!" Ichigo appeared beside us with his zanpakuto slung over his shoulder, but just him. "Where are the others?" Toshiro questioned.

Ichigo scowled. "We chased the two that shot you but we quickly lost them. Thanks to the information Mizuru's subordinates gathered though we traced them to an old storage building which we think is their hideout. The others are there now staking out the place and Rukia forcibly sent me here to bring you guys." He looks at me. "Are you up to it Mizuru?"

"Hell yeah!" I grinned and popped out of my gigai. Toshiro and Maki followed my lead. "Let's go kick some ass!"

"Alright!" Ichigo grins and dashes off. We quickly follow behind as he leads us to the enemy's base. On our way there a bright glint catches Maki's eye and she turns to me. "Hey Mizuru?"

"Yeah?"

"Where'd you get that necklace?" I give her a confused look and she points to my chest. I look down and nearly fall of the building we were running on. Around my neck is the same necklace my mom wore and then passed down to me; the same one that should've been hidden in a box under my bed back at the barracks. I finger the necklace and smile at Maki, who was still awaiting my answer. "My mom gave it to me."

"Oh, it's really pretty."

Ichigo stops and motions for us to continue quietly. We come up behind Rukia and the others who were hiding in an alley a couple yards from the building. I nudge Maki and wink when she turns to me. I creep up behind Ikkaku and whisper in his ear. "Boo."

He lets out a shriek that is, thankfully, muffled by Yumichika. He turns to glare at me and I just shrug. Toshiro nods in Rukia's direction. "So what have you figured out so far?"

"Well, as I'm sure Ichigo has told you, we temporarily lost the enemy but soon tracked them to this location with the help of Himoto's subordinates. We investigated the perimeter but observed no suspicious activity. We can though sense at least four different reiatsu inside the building."

"Okay, that's good." Ichigo nodded. "We outnumber them, so what's the hold up?"

Renji shook his head. "The fact that we outnumber them doesn't mean shit. We have no idea how powerful our opponents are or what their abilities are."

I turn to one of my subordinates. "Have you learned anything?"

"Well we had been observing this place under suspicion of this being Kursagi's hideout and we noticed three people coming in and out of this place. Due to that it's safe to assume that Kursagi has people working under him."

I process the new information and growl. Everyone looks at me. "The people's names he works with are Kimori, Firuki, and Saida."

Toshiro nods, agreeing with me. "That makes sense but it doesn't answer why they would attack you."

"Simple," I say. "He killed my whole family. He's just finishing the job."

Ikkaku cracks his knuckles, a wide grin on his face. "Well, we're just gonna have ta kill him first!"

I turn back to my subordinates. "I want you to go back to Urahara and report everything you've learned here. Then I want you to lead him and the other Detention Unit members who came back here. We're gonna need all the back up we can get."

"Yes ma'am!"

When they disappear I continue my orders. "Now I want everyone to go ahead and draw your zanpakuto, bow, or whatever. We're going in there weapons ready and senses alert. Anyone who can't do that might as well stay here. Rukia will lead the assault with Ichigo and Renji flanking her. Ikkaku, Yumichika, Toshiro, and I will follow with Maki, Chad, Orihime, and Uryu backing us up from behind. Any disagreement?"

Everyone shook their heads and quickly got into their designated positions, Ikkaku complaining the whole time. Rukia looked back at me and I nodded. She dashed off and we all fell in behind her. As we neared the building Maki shouted for us to stop. Luckily we heard her in time, because right when we did a barrier appeared around the building. Ichigo swore. "Dammit, how are we supposed to get in now?"

"I got this." Maki ran in front of the group. She clasped her hands together and mumbled something. She then lightly touched the barrier and it shattered. Ichigo stared at her incredibly. "How'd you do that?!"

"I simply dispelled that barrier with one of my own of equal strength and then broke mine."

Ichigo gave her a thumbs-up and she blushed. I rolled my eyes. "Well, shall we continue our warm welcome then?"

I shunpo'd into the building and everyone appeared behind me. Everyone looked around with their weapons drawn, but a low chuckle drew my attention to the back of the empty building. A tall figure stepped out of the shadows. "My, my, what a wonderful surprise this is!"

I swung to face the murderer. "Stop with the clichés, you knew we were coming didn't you?"

Amurai pretended to think for a minute. "Well now that you mention it, I did. I just didn't expect you to show up Himoto-chan. I was so sure Firuki killed you… What is the meaning of this?"

A small figure materialized beside him. Firuki bowed her head. "My arrow had pierced her heart, my lord. She was dead when we left. I have no idea how she is alive."

"Maybe you just screwed up and missed." I stiffened and looked at Saida who was holding her blade against my throat. _How the hell-._ Saida sneered. "Don't worry, I'll fix that mistake."

As everyone pointed their swords at the red-head a tsking was heard above us. "Now, now you two. It's senseless to argue. We all know, they're gonna die anyway."

Uryu brought out his bow and shot an arrow into the darkness, making Kimori fall in front of us in surprise. Amurai clapped. "Wow a Quincy! My, this will certainly be fun!"

Ichigo roared and leapt towards him. "Getsuga Tensho!"

Amurai danced, laughing, out of the way of Ichigo's attack. He then appeared beside Ichigo and drew his sword off his back and slashed down at Ichigo. Ichigo brought up Zangetsu to block it but Amurai was too strong and Ichigo was sent crashing to the ground. Orihime screamed and ran towards him before we could stop her. Three kunai sent from Kimori headed straight for her back. "Enkōsen!"

A round shield of reiatsu blocked the kunai. Orihime turned stunned and Maki yelled at her. "Watch your back will ya?"

Orihime runs back to Ichigo who is shakily getting to his feet. With the diversion I knock away Saida's blade and Maki uses Shō to push her away. Toshiro jumps in front of me and blocks the oncoming arrows. I nod my thanks and shout to the others. "Renji, Ichigo, and Chad take Saida. Rukia, Maki, and Orihime take Firuki. Uryu, Yumichika, and Ikkaku take Kimori. Toshiro and I will take care of Amurai. Got it?"

They all nodded and then charged into battle.

* * *

_~Ichigo's p.o.v. ~_

I flung myself to the side when I heard Renji releasing his zanpakuto. "Roar, Zabimaru!"

The segmented blade whipped by my head towards the red-haired girl. She dodged it by leaping into the air, letting it crash into the wall behind her. She mockingly landed on the blade and ran up it to attack Renji. I knocked her off with Getsuga Tensho and Renji pulled back Zabimaru. Before she landed Chad grabbed her from behind. She just scowled and flipped him over her shoulder. He landed with a loud crack and the floor broke underneath him. "Chad!"

I leapt at the bitch and shot another Getsuga Tensho at her. She flipped over it and returned the attack by throwing her sword at me. I blocked it with Zangetsu but the force pushed me back and I noticed the thin chain connected to it. _What the hell?_ Trying to take advantage of Saida not having her sword, Renji launches Zabimaru at her again. To his surprise she pulled back her sword with amazing speed and blocked his attack. She then disappeared and reappeared behind Renji and deeply slashed his back. Renji cried out in pain and fell to his knees. "Renji!"

I stepped toward him but she appeared at my side with her blade at my throat like she did with Mizuru. She pouted. "Is this really the best you can do? I must say I am _very_ disappointed."

"Shut up." I growled. I look over at Chad lying unconscious on the ground with probably a dozen broken bones and Renji who was bleeding profusely and struggling to stand. Saida sneers and presses the blade deeper into my throat, drawing blood. "If ya beg I can end it swiftly…"

"I said _shut up_!" My reiatsu explodes out of me, knocking her away. I swing Zangetsu in front of me and place my left hand on my right forearm. "BANKAI!"

A large explosion brings her to her knees. She looks up at me shocked. I swing my black, serrated zanpakuto in front of me. "Tensa Zangetsu."

She tries to recover from the shock by laughing. "Hah, so what? You changed your outfit and got a smaller sword with teeth. As if that will change your fate."

She throws her sword at me but I use shunpo to dodge it and I grab hold of the chain. She tugs hard on the chain but to no avail. I smile. "Guess it's over for you."

"Don't be so sure, boy." She smiles and with a flick of her wrist, wraps the other end of the chain around me. _Fuck!_ She walks toward me and casually detaches her sword from the chain. She raises it above her head but before she can strike, I grin. "Getsuga Tensho."

She screams as the close range, black reiatsu shoots out of my zanpakuto and obliterates her along with everything else in its path. I was about to make my way over to Chad and Renji when I felt something pierce through my left shoulder. I turned to face the attacker and collapsed. "That was for my partner you bastard."

* * *

_~Maki's p.o.v. ~_

"Byakurai!" I launch a lightning bolt at Firuki and quickly doge the answering assault of arrows. Rukia releases her zanpakuto. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"

Her zanpakuto turns into a beautiful white blade with a long white ribbon coming off of the pommel. She stabs the ground. "Juhaku!"

A trail of ice heads towards Firuki. I nod in Rukia's direction and then turn back to Firuki. I point at her. "Hainawa!"

An energy rope leaves my hand and wraps itself around Firuki, holding her in place. The ice reaches her and she starts to freeze from the feet up. She struggles but the rope is holding her too tight. Desperate, she shoots an arrow at the ground and it explodes. Orihime puts up a shield to protect us but Firuki had broken free. We stay behind the shield as the arrows rain down on us. The arrows stopped and we looked to see what happened. We heard a scream and looked over to where Ichigo, Renji, and Chad were fighting. They must've won because Saida was nowhere to be seen. Firuki noticed that too. Before I could stop her she angrily launched an arrow at Ichigo and it impaled itself in his shoulder. "That was for my partner you bastard!"

Orihime gasped when he collapsed but Rukia held her back. I shook my head. "No, let her go help them, I'll cover her."

"Fine." Rukia let her go and she ran over to the guys. I blocked the volley of arrows with Enkōsen. When she reached them I used Kyokkō to hide them so Firuki wouldn't know where to attack. Rukia worriedly glanced over at me. "Are you going to be ok doing all that?"

I waved her away. "Yeah I'm fine." I twirled my zanpakuto in front of me. "Now the real fun begins!" I brought my zanpakuto to a halt and held it behind me. "Go get 'em, Odayak ana Tora!"

As I slashed it in front of me, it glowed and changed shape. I now held a long, golden staff with a large circle on the top with smaller rings hanging from it. I shifted it from hand to hand, twirling it to block Firuki's arrows. "When will you give up?" I shouted. "You're bound to run out of arrows sometime or another!"

"That's where you're wrong! My arrows are a little bit like a Quincy's, they are made out of reishi but they are also made out of my reiatsu. So they will never run out!" Firuki laughs and I use this opportunity to whisper to Rukia. "I'm about to do some heavy lifting so if you would help me out and do the little stuff and keep the psychopath still?"

"You got it." Rukia stands and I prepare the spell. She points at Firuki. "Rikujōkōrō"

Six beams of light slam into Firuki's midsection. "What the hell?" She struggles against the kido. "What did you do?"

Rukia struggles to hold the kido. "I can't keep this up much longer, are you done yet?"

"Yeah. But only release it on my signal."

She nods and I continue my chanting, I normally don't need to say the incantations but I needed to be sure this would work. I first cast Dankū in order to block everyone else from my attack. "Now!" I shout at Rukia.

She releases the kido and I immediately cast the next one. "Hado 88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

A giant electrical blast of reiatsu erupts from my hands and the blowback knocks everyone to their feet. Firuki didn't even have time to scream. _And that was for my best friend you psychotic bitch!_

* * *

_~Mizuru's p.o.v. ~_

The force of Maki's attack knocks everyone to their knees and even sent some of us tumbling backwards. Amurai is also knocked down and I use this opportunity to attack him. I leap at him and swing my sword down on him, but he easily blocks it with his own. _Damn!_ I scowl and flip backwards dodging his counter attack. He laughs as he stands. "Well, well. It seems I have underestimated you kids. And here you have already defeated two of my skilled puppets."

"Puppets?!" Toshiro growled. "That's what you call them?"

"Of course. What a silly question. After all…_they're merely toys I control._" He sighs and vanishes; we turn to see him standing behind Kimori. "This is taking way to long. Well, you know what they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself."

He impales Kimori on his sword, the blade sticking out of her chest. Blood splatters on Uryu' cheek, who was crouched in front of her, his eyes widened in shock. She gives a final gurgling cry as Amurai tosses her aside and moves toward Uryu. I want to shout a warning to Uryu, but I can't. It's as if my throat is closed in fear. It's suffocating. _I have to stop Amurai, he'll kill Uryu! I have to move, do something! But, what can I do against him? I'm so weak, I'll die. I can't do anything…_

"Mizuru! Snap the hell out of it!"

Toshiro's shout lifts the haze from my mind. I realize I'm kneeling on the ground, but I wasn't before. _What the hell was that?_ Before I can get up, Amurai grins and slices Uryu's chest who was still knelt down in front of him. Uryu collapses without uttering a sound. Ikkaku and Yumichika charge toward him, releasing their zanpakuto. Without batting an eyelash, Amurai vanishes and slices them deeply from behind. He makes his way over to Orihime who stands and attempts to protect Ichigo and Renji who were still unconscious. Rukia dashes toward him in order to protect them but he meets her and runs his sword through her abdomen. Maki tries as well to stop him but she is still weak from her attack and he simply knocks her aside with a single blow.

"MAKI!" I scream and dash over to her. Amurai appears in front of me and slams his fist in the side of my head, knocking me to the ground. He picks up my dropped zanpakuto and runs it through my shoulder, pinning me to the ground. I scream in agony. He tsks. "Now, now. I'll get to you later, so just stay put okay?"

Enraged, Toshiro charges him and screams out the release of his bankai. "BANKAI! DAIGUREN HYOURINMARU!"

His reiatsu explodes out of him and hardens into ice that wraps around him forming wings and a tail. Toshiro thrusts his sword at Amurai, but he simply sidesteps it and grabs Toshiro's arm in the process. "Now, you should be careful where you're swinging that thing boy, someone could get hurt. Namely, you."

With a flick of his wrist, Amurai snaps Toshiro's arm in two. "GYAAAAAGGGH!"

Toshiro screams and drops to his knees and I try in vain to get up to help him. Amurai drug his sword across Toshiro's chest. He drops a now unconscious Toshiro and moves toward Orihime who is trembling now but still is trying to keep on a brave face. "I-I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!"

He just laughs. "You can't do anything girl, but don't worry, I will make sure you don't have to watch anymore."

With that he slams the hilt of his sword into her skull and she collapses on the ground, blood trickling down her face. Her Sōten Kisshun shatters. I can't stop the tears that flow down my face. They weren't tears of pain or sadness though. _How could he? What kind of monster is he? I have to stop him…but how? How can I possibly beat him?_

**_Trussst me. You can Misssuru-bosssu._**

_What the hell? Now you decide to speak up? AND QUIT WITH "BOZU"!_

**_Jussst shut up and lisssten. You have the power, you know it don't you? Jussst go with your inssstinctssssss…_**

The voice of my zanpakuto fades away and Amurai walks toward me. He motions to everyone he mercilessly cut down. "Well now that there are no more interruptions, I can finally kill you like I did your parents, _slowly and painfully._"

He pushes his blade against my neck but a wheeze draws his attention away from me. "D-Don't…touch…her…"

Toshiro shakily stands up and Amurai scowls. "Oh? Damn, guess I didn't cut you deep enough."

He quickly walks over to Toshiro, his sword scrapping against the ground. He raised it to strike and I had enough. A growl escapes my throat and reiatsu I didn't know I had flows out of me like water. I reach over and pull my sword out of my shoulder, not noticing the pain. I get up on my feet much to the amusement of Amurai. The blood that had flowed from my body is washed away by an unseen force. I point my zanpakuto at Amurai, my silver eyes glowing with a deathly intensity. A single word escapes my lips with a growl.

"Ban…kai…"


	10. Chapter 10: Rise of a Queen & Revelation

hello, so it's that time huh? what has it been? like three months?i should start by saying how much i appreciate the positive responses from all of you! I actually never thought it would be this popular...or even this long! 25 chapters! Wow!i loved all the messages you guys have sent me and i hope for it to continue!Also 1,000 profile views?! wow...i can't even express how happy that makes me :) THANK YOU QUIZILLIANS! (is that the correct term? oh fuck it, it is now)i hope to see you guys again soon with my other stories, which should be updated soon! with a few changes but not to many... :)Ok well enough blabbering from me...Please enjoy the latest and FINAL chapter of Black of the Night!

Pictures celebrating the end of BotN: ( ) (mizuru-himoto).(deviantart).(com/)

**ok i'm just to lazy to rewrite it for you guys, but the points the same...in a way...though...it hasn't really been 7 months huh? oh well... this was more or less a test for future posting...ish...still, enjoy! :)**

As my reiatsu swirled around me, a single word escaped my lips with a growl. "Ban…kai…"

In a white explosion, my hair is lifted from my head and is whipped around furiously. My zanpakuto glows and all of my reiatsu was drawn towards it, transforming it. Mizu Hebi elongated into a black spear with a blinding silver blade. Baby blue ribbons accented with an onyx bead on each end dangled from underneath the blade. As my hair settled back on my shoulders I grasped my zanpakuto and stood tall, glaring at Amurai.

Toshiro's eyes grew wide but, not surprisingly, Amurai laughed. Clutching his side he wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. "Oh my, I expected a little more fight out of you Himoto-san. Oh well, it just will make killing you that much easier," Amurai's attention was drawn to Toshiro who had started violently coughing, splattering blood on the ground in front on him. "But first I should be merciful and finish you off."

He struck down with his sword but to his astonishment I had already moved a now unconscious Toshiro away, laid him down near the others, and moved back in front of Amurai. He laughed. "Well, seems like I can have some fun after all, ne? Himoto-san!"

As those words left his mouth, I finished the release of my bankai. Lifting my zanpakuto over my head, I let out a shout. "_Incur your wrath, Subarashī umi ryū!"_

I didn't have to turn around to see the air rippling behind me. As it did, a clawed limb tore its way out followed by a sharp snout connected to a head. The creature clawed and squirmed its way out of the air until its entire slender body stood regally behind me. The summoned dragon let out an earth-shattering roar, exposing the pointed fangs that lined its mouth which were as sharp as its black claws. The dragon was at least eight feet in length from snout to the light blue webbed fan on the end of its tail, which seems small but the elegance and power that radiated off of it more than made up for its size. Its body was covered in diamond-hard aqua scales and silver plates covered its torso and the underside of its neck. The dragon's thin horns and the topside of its wings were an abyssal black to match its claws. The thin webbing on its wings was light blue like its tail fan. The dragon's ears were a teal color and they connected to gill-like webbing on the underside of its jaw. Teal spikes also ran down the dragon's spine starting at the base of its snout and ending at the tip of its tail.

A deep blue eye shifted over to look at Amurai. A thunderous growl erupted from the dragon's throat. Somehow knowing what to do, I pointed my left hand towards my parent's murderer and the dragon launched itself at him. Amurai was unable to completely dodge the attack and he was thrown backwards into a pillar but landed in a crouch. He scowled as he wiped away a thin line of blood from his chin and rose to his feet. "Hn, you're just full of surprises Himoto-san."

I said nothing as I continued my counter-attack. The dragon whipped its tail around, catching Amurai off guard and knocked him into the air where I met him from behind and drove my zanpakuto into his shoulder, nearly chuckling at the irony. "Tell me why!" I demanded as we fell to the ground. "What possible excuse could you have for killing my parents? What drove you to committing that horrible deed?"

We landed, crashing to the ground in an explosion of dirt and rubble. As the dust cleared a low chuckle could be heard. Amurai grinned up at me, for he was still pinned down by my zanpakuto. He struggled to breathe as he answered. "Would you…believe me…if…I said…it was because…I wanted to?"

I couldn't tell who growled the loudest, the dragon, or me as I drove the blade deeper into Amurai earning a satisfying startled cry from him. Even so, the confident smirk never left his face. "Heh…I didn't think so…"

"Tell me!" I demanded once again, making sure he knew what would happen if he didn't. The dragon rose up onto its hind legs behind me matching its menacing glare directed towards Amurai with my own. It could've been a trick of the light but I could've sworn Amurai violently flinched. "Tch, fine, but…don't say…I didn't try to warn you…"

He trailed off and I soon grew impatient. "Well…?!"

"Ah, right…why I killed your parents? Oh that's because I was ordered to!"

"By who!?"

He paused before answering, a glint of pity appearing in his eyes. "The Seireitei…"

There was no way I heard him correctly so I asked him again, my heart pounding. "W-what…who ordered you…?"

"Huh, that's funny, I could've sworn you heard me the first time. Well anyway, as I said, I was ordered by the Seireitei to kill you parents."

My hands trembled and I stumbled backwards, my mind struggling desperately to process the new information. Amurai, amused, continued his bombardment on my mental stability. "Heh, as unbelievable as it sounds it's true. Apparently your clan was becoming too much trouble for them, so, like the Quincys, they were ordered to be wiped out. Your parent's fled and had you. It was by a streak of luck that you were found and I was chosen to finish the job. I knew I was to be captured and disposed of later, in order to cover it all up, but I accepted anyway. Though, I was ordered to leave you alive for some reason. Maybe they thought without the guidance of your parents you would never unlock you dormant power? No matter, I absolutely hate leaving a job unfinished…."

I stopped listening. I was shaking, my body unnaturally cold. My hands grasped my throat. I couldn't breath. My breath came in gasps. I was choking. Suffocating. My body was shutting down, my mind shut down, my thoughts blank. My eyes were wide but unseeing. "It's not true…" I whispered. "It's not true…it's not true…it's not true…IT'S NOT TRUE!" I repeated the phrase like a chant, my voice growing in intensity, as if that will wipe away the broken pieces of my soul.

The tears freely ran down my face and Amurai used this opportunity to pull my zanpakuto out of his shoulder and struggle to his feet. I barely registered what he said. "Well sorry, but as they say, don't shoot the messenger." He makes his way toward my trembling figure. "That's good, just stay there and accept your death. I can guarantee you'll see you parents again. I'll even be nice and end it quickly."

I closed my eyes and bowed my head, finally giving up on my lie-centered life. I waited impatiently for the death-filled white ecstasy.

"**_MIZURU-SAMA!_**"

My head snapped up to a loud crash. What really caught my attention though was the voice that sounded like the crashing of waves that exploded in my mind, no, my _soul_. My eyes locked with the sad eyes of the dragon who was perched on top of Amurai, its claws digging into the man's throat. It lowered its head in my direction, a soft snort coming from it. The voice penetrated me once again, but this time like the soft patter of rain on a window. "**_Please don't give up…if you die…I will cease to exist, and your friends will also surely perish. I may have no right to say anything, but I share your pain. I'm yours after all. I know you feel betrayed, but I'm still here. And so are your friends…so please…please…continue to live! Survive! WIN!_**"

The dragon flicked my dropped zanpakuto in my direction. I wiped my pitiful tears away and picked it up. I stood and walked over to a struggling Amurai. As I stood over him he looked up smugly but his eyes were full of fear. "You're pitiful. You can't kill _me_, dammit!"

My hair shadowed my eyes as I raised my zanpakuto. The dragon removed its claws and Amurai tried to move away. Before he could, I unmercifully plunged the spear deep into his chest. A loud scream erupted from Amurai before he collapsed, unmoving, back onto the ground.

My strength flew out of me and I braced myself against the small dragon, an exasperated sigh escaping from my lips. I don't know how much time passed until I heard quick footsteps behind me. I recognized the reiatsu and a smirk played on my lips. "You're late Kisuke-san."

I blacked out to a startled gasp and a sad chuckle.

* * *

EPILOUGE

It's been nearly a month since I returned from my mission in Karakura.

Wow, is that really all?

After I killed Amurai, Kisuke, Yoruichi, and my seven subordinates arrived at the warehouse. When I blacked out, Kisuke ordered everyone to transport us back to his shop where we were immediately treated by him and a few Squad 4 members Yoruichi requested Captain Soi-Fon send.

I still find Captain's infatuation with Yoruichi so cute, but I just hope she never finds out…

It was three days until Toshiro and the others regained consciousness but almost a week for them to heal completely, even with the help of Orihime, who insisted on helping.

But me?

I was unconscious for nine days.

Lemme just say I was really craving some sugar when I finally woke up.

Of course, Maki knew me well enough to fix that problem.

I talked with Toshiro, we decided to keep my bankai between the two of us, even though he was unconscious for half of it. I do plan on telling Maki. I can't have her pissed with me when she does find out. So I will tell her, just, later…

I also had a long talk with Urahara-san. we both figured it would be best to keep Amurai's revelation a secret. We knew it would just cause more trouble if I were to ask the Head Captain about it. But I will one day discover the truth, but for now, I'm ok with this life.

I'm pretty diligent as a third seat. I haven't been assigned another mission yet so after I finish my small stack of paperwork I spend most of my free time with Toshiro. Maki and training take up the rest of my time. I named my dragon partner Umi and _he_ loved it. I learned in human years he is 147, but that is merely a teenager in dragon years. He comes out quite often now, due to my training. He comes mostly at nighttime in order to calm me down and help me sleep. The nightmares, they haven't stopped. Go figure…

But, again, I am content with my life.

This lie-filled life…

The lies as black as a starless night sky.


End file.
